Phantomhive's Creed
by pclaoditore64
Summary: London, 1888. Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis investigate a string of murders that are connected to one key artifact: the Piece of Eden. As they search for this item, they soon find themselves becoming entangled in a war between two groups that has lasted since the Middle Ages. Will they rise to the challenge and pick a side, or will their neutrality lead to their demise?
1. Prologue

**_1888, London_**

"Please... Please don't kill me! I didn't do anything to hurt anyone!" cried a nobleman as he lay on the ground, beaten, nearly to death, by a group of thugs in an alley.

A sinister voice chuckled at this comment and said, "Of course not. But you _do_ have an idea of where the Apple of Eden is. We have no choice but to... take this information from you. Harshly."

"I have no idea what you're talking about..." muttered the poor man. This did not satisfy the figure before him. The mysterious, hooded man snapped his fingers, and one of the thugs kicked the nobleman harshly. The poor man started to cough up blood.

"I will ask you once again... Where. Is. The Apple of Eden?" the sinister voice calmly asked.

"I don't know!" the nobleman shouted.

"Hm. I guess we'll have to kill you after all," the other man said with a smirk on his face. He gave the signal, and the thugs started coming towards the nobleman with daggers and cutting instruments.

"No... No, please! Don't kill me! I beg of you! NOOOOOO!"

But it was too late. Blood splattered in the alley, and the body of the nobleman grew cold as a pool of scarlet liquid formed around him. With all the stab wounds given to the poor victim, it was enough to give even Julius Caesar's assassination a run for its money.

"Search his body," commanded the mysterious man. The thugs searched the nobleman's body, and found an insignia burned onto his finger. This insignia was hidden under the nobleman's signet ring bearing his family's coat of arms.

"He's an Assassin," one of the thugs indicated.

"Hm. I figured he wouldn't have revealed anything about that Apple... Did you find anything else on him?" remarked the man.

The thugs continued to search the body until they found a small notebook bound by red leather and a red ribbon.

"What's this?" muttered the man as he snatched the notebook from the thugs. He opened up the small booklet, looking through note after pointless note until he came across some sketches of a spherical object, notes about this object, and translations for some sort of important document discussing the Apple of Eden. The conspirator smiled upon seeing this and tucked the notebook into his inner coat pocket.

"So he doesn't have the Apple, then?" one of the thugs asked, disappointed that there was nothing else useful to loot from the cold body before them.

"No," replied their leader, "but we know that he's been doing his research on the properties of this powerful, fascinating treasure."

"What do we do with the body?"

"Hide it in the corner there. Hide any evidence pointing to us. Put that signet ring over the insignia on his finger. We mustn't let anyone know of our doings here. And if that bloody Guard Dog starts sniffing around these murders, make sure that his trail ends here." With that, the man casually walked out of the alleyway and into the all too quiet night, leaving his thugs to take care of business.


	2. 1: The Earl, Investigating

_**Morning, Phantomhive Estate**_

The Phantomhive Estate was overtaken by quietude. The morning was cool, and not a single cloud could be seen in the sky. Within the Estate, Earl Phantomhive's butler was up and about, beginning the morning's chores. He would soon have to wake up his young master and serve him breakfast. Before breakfast can be served this particular morning, however, certain business must be taken care of: business that the Queen has sent, in the form of a letter, addressed to her Guard Dog.

The butler quietly entered the young Earl's room and withdrew the curtains to let in the morning light. The light hit the Earl's bed. The young boy stirred, then he awoke, rubbing his eyes from sleep.

"Good morning, Young Master," greeted the butler. "Today, I have prepared Earl Grey tea and cranberry scones for you. I also have the morning's papers and a letter from Her Majesty, the Queen."

"What does she want _now_ , Sebastian...?" Ciel yawned as he sat up in his bed.

"I'm afraid you will have to read the letter yourself to understand what she is requesting of you," Sebastian replied as he helped his master dress into his emerald green suit.

"If it's about that incident a few weeks ago, I've already sent a report. Scotland Yard doesn't need to stick their noses into my bloody business anymore," Ciel muttered irritable as Sebastian tied his shoes and buttoned his coat.

"Might I suggest reading the letter over breakfast?" the butler advised while putting the master's eyepatch over his right eye and tying the strings together to conceal the contract they made but a few years ago. "You will be in much better spirits in fulfilling your obligations to Her Majesty when you have eaten."

"Hmph. Very well," Ciel uttered and followed Sebastian to the dining hall. In there, Ciel picked up the letter opener, opened up the envelope, and began reading the letter within.

"My dear child,

Thank you for your help on the previous incident. The case has been closed, and for a brief period of time, we have had peace. But now, I would like for you to join a friend of mine at the enclosed address at noon. It's strictly a matter of business, and I know that you have heard many stories regarding this fellow. He is in terrible shape, and his friends may become involved as well unless you help him out. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours, etc."

As the young Earl finished reading the letter, Sebastian had just poured the morning's tea into a Lily of the Valley bone china teacup and gave the saucer and teacup to his master. As the Earl sipped his tea, he began reading the headlines of the front page, which boldly proclaimed: **NOBLEMAN STABBED TO DEATH IN EAST END ALLEY**. He skimmed through the article and set aside the newspaper.

"Sebastian, is there anything scheduled for noon?" Ciel inquired. To which the butler replied, "You have your French lessons before you have tea with business associates about Funtom's product ideas."

"Can you still schedule in a visit with Sir Walter Scott at noon?"

"I shall put the French lesson on hold. As for tea with your associates, I'm afraid I cannot reschedule it."

"I only want a half an hour to see Sir Walter. I won't be staying long with him. Besides, he's probably starting to smell _funny_."

"Very well. Instead of French lessons, we shall visit with Sir Walter, then you shall discuss business with your associates over tea at 1 o'clock," Sebastian concluded.


	3. 2: The Earl, Caught in a Skirmish

_**East End London, Whitechapel**_

A horse carriage dropped off the Earl and his butler at Whitechapel in London's East End. Whitechapel was once the hub of much economic activity in East End, until crime rates steadily rose. Now, this area of East End was notorious for being rampant in crime, so it came as no surprise to anyone, especially Earl Phantomhive, that a murder would take place here. _Why would the Queen send me on some fool's errand? What's so special about Sir Walter's murder?_ Ciel thought as he and Sebastian turned a corner into an alley, already reeking with putrification. The boy took out a handkerchief and put it over his nose and mouth, coughing into it. The butler seemed unaffected.

"This place smells awful. Let's get this dirty business done and over with so that I can bathe and get this stench off of me before the meeting," Ciel muttered underneath his handkerchief. He looked around in the alley with his butler right beside him. There was a certain spot in the alley where faint traces of blood could be seen; the Guard Dog took note of it in his mind.

"It seems like Sir Walter's murderer tried to cover his tracks. Fortunately for us, he didn't clean up very well," Ciel remarked.

"Young master, I couldn't find the body. Scotland Yard must have taken it in for an autopsy," Sebastian announced. Ciel looked around and found faint streaks of blood indicating that the body was probably dragged from its original spot to the crates, where it could be hidden from view. Out of sight, out of mind, so the saying goes. But such was not the case when the body begins decomposing, and the stench becomes more and more apparent over the course of a few hours.

 _The truth will always reveal itself, no matter how long anyone tries to hide it,_ were the boy's thoughts as he examined the area behind the crates. Sure enough, there was no evidence to be found. "Tch. Scotland Yard seems eager to keep me out of the case. How rude," Ciel speculated. "Let's go, Sebastian. We're wasting our time here. Besides, it will take a while to remove the stench from my clothes and myself."

"Of course, young master," Sebastian agreed.

Ciel was the first to step out of the alley, and was about to take the handkerchief off from his face, when a group of thugs surrounded Earl Phantomhive. Ciel glared at these men; he knew these were no ordinary thieves or muggers. The faint glitter in their eyes suggested that they were not here to take the Earl's money; they desired to see blood spilt.

"Little boys shouldn't be roaming around the streets of Whitechapel, y'know," spoke one of the thugs. "Wouldn't want to get caught in any _nasty_ business, now, would ya'?" The other thugs chuckled in agreement.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, if I were you," Ciel cautioned them. "My butler does not approve of people, like you, laying your filty hands on me."

The thugs laughed at this. They had the confidence stance of an amateur, but they still meant business. "Ya' think your butler is going to save ya'? That skinny thing o'er there?" a thug taunted. They laughed again. Sebastian was obviously displeased by the comment; he had the sudden urge to strangle them.

"Underestimating my butler? Not a very wise move," Ciel put in with a little smirk underneath his handkerchief. Just as he was about to command Sebastian to take care of the thugs, a firing squad, hidden around the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the alley, fired their rifles at Sebastian. Not expecting to have so many shoot him at once, especially hidden from the naked eye, Sebastian fell to the ground, bleeding from the bullets puncturing him almost a hundred times.

Ciel turned around, eyes widened, and was shocked to see his butler fall so easily like this. _This was a trap! How could they have known I was going to be here?!_ the panicked Earl thought to himself. His confidence shaken, and his butler unconscious, the boy had no choice but to somehow protect himself from these thugs and their rooftop agents.

"Now, where were we?" the leader of the thugs mused as his companions took out clubs and other types of cruel weapons. _I only have a revolver to save me..._ Ciel thought to himself as the thugs approached him. "Come on, Sebastian... Wake up, you fool...!" Ciel muttered. Still, the butler would not move. _This never happend before... These people know me better than my underground connections do... How is this possible...? Is this going to be the end of the Phantomhive lineage? Is this the end of me...?_

Nicholas T. Darby, had watched the scene from the corner of Whitechapel High Street intersecting into this street, where the alley was. _I can't believe you sent me to babysit this kid, Lockaby..._ Darby complained in his head as he watched the rooftop agents shoot and kill they boy's butler. Why they would shoot the butler, Darby could not understand, but he was sure that the boy needed help. Luckily, Lockaby sent the gentleman with a few agents of his own to resolve the situation.

"I think it's about time I take these thugs out of their misery," Darby muttered to himself as he signaled his agents to get to work on the rooftop shooters. Pulling the brim of his top hat at a downward angle, the shadow of the brim covering his eyes, Darby came out from around the corner and approached the thugs. He was about to throw one of his prized throwing knives at the thugs as they were approaching the young Earl, when one of the rooftop shooters fell from the rooftop to his untimely demise. **Thud!** The thugs saw the body, then Darby.

" 'Ey! You! Where do you think you're goin'?!" a thug called out to Darby. _Rats... Lockaby's going to kill me if I even make it out of this one alive..._ Darby was not pleased by this sudden turn of events. Even though the rooftop agents were all dead, these thugs posed a threat. Darby's mercenaries left the scene, and now this man was on his own to defend himself.

 _ **BANG!**_

The young Earl took that window of opportunity to shoot the leader of the thugs at point-blank range. The leader, putting a hand over his abdomen region, fell to the ground, blood spilling out of his mouth. The thugs were in a sort of frenzy, trying to figure out who they should kill first. Half of them were going to kill the Earl, but the other half wanted to take care of this newcomer to the scene.

One of them decided to grab the Earl by the collar and attempt to stab him with a stiletto. Darby, in his agile and speedy manner, made it over to the thugs and extended a hidden blade from under his sleeves with a flick of the wrist, stabbing the thug who was trying to kill Ciel. When the other thugs tried throwing punches at Darby, he swiftly dodged the punches, grabbed the thugs arms, and broke them with ease and fluidity. _They won't be using those arms again,_ mused Darby as he took care of the last thug by taking the stiletto of the fallen one and slicing the last thug's neck. The other two thugs with the broken arms tried running away to escape death, but Darby threw his throwing knives at them, which were tipped venom. Their deaths were instant.

Earl Phantomhive watched as this man, dressed like a gentleman, had almost single-handedly killed all of those thugs. But why? Why would anyone want to save him in this situation? He hardly had any friends as the Queen's Guard Dog; he was always surrounded with people who wanted him _dead_.

"What do you want from me...?" Ciel inquired as he glared at the gentleman. He pointed his revolver at this stranger, this avenger. The man only chuckled and said, "If I were you, I suggest you stay out of this case. It would be best not to get involved in this affair while you still don't know." And with that, he quickly walked off.

"Wait!" Ciel called out to the mysterious gentleman, but the gentleman walked amongst the crowd in Whitechapel High Street and dissipated in the midst of all the people.

 _What did he mean by this... What don't I know yet...?_ The boy looked onward at Whitechapel High Street. Sir Walter's case would not be easy to solve after all...


	4. 3: The Earl, Inquiring

"Sebastian, why did you not get up when I told you to?! I could've bloody _died!_ " Ciel reprimanded as he stormed out of East End towards the direction of Scotland Yard's headquarters.

"I apologize, Young Master," Sebastian remarked, "but I knew you would be saved by the other man. He had been following us the whole time."

"And you did not bother to utter even a single _word_ about it?" Ciel commented in a disapproving tone. Sebastian smiled, amused at his young master's flustered attitude and replied, saying, "You never asked me about it."

The look Ciel had when he stopped and shot a glare at Sebastian only made the butler smile even more. It made the young boy a little more appetizing, seeing him so determined to seek even a little bit of vengeance over something as trivial as this. The butler could only guess what the boy was thinking: "I'll get back at you one of these days." _I would love to see you try,_ Sebastian thought to himself.

"Now, now, do not act like a child. It is quite unbecoming, especially for an Earl such as yourself," Sebastian said, reverting back to a serious expression.

Ciel scoffed. "Very well, then," he muttered, then said with a more assertive tone, "We are going to find out all we can about Sir Walter and why he was murdered. We are also going to investigate a little more about that brawl earlier. Send a note of apology to the Funtom associates; I shall be too busy to conduct any business with them today." _I'm not going to let that strange man tell me what I can and cannot do,_ were the Guard Dog's thoughts.

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian replied. He followed Ciel until the boy stopped to catch his breath. The butler then hailed a carriage to take them the rest of the way to Scotland Yard.

 _ **Scotland Yard Headquarters**_

Ciel Phantomhive walked into the Scotland Yard building and spotted Inspector Fred Abberline. The Inspector was usually partnered with Lord Arthur Randall on many of Scotland Yard's investigations. The Earl walked up to the inspector, hardly not in the mood for games.

Abberline spotted Ciel from a few meters away, and he greeted the boy with a warm and pleasant smile. "Good morning, Earl Phantomhive," Abberline greeted. "How may I-"

"Where's Lord Randall?" Ciel cut in before Abberline even began to finish his sentence.

"If this is about the Sir Walter case, he refuses to give his consent to let you see the body and evidence picked up from the crime scene," Abberline replied.

"Typical," muttered the boy. He looked up at Abberline and stated, "It does not matter what Lord Randall thinks and allows. I have a letter from the Queen _herself_ , giving me consent to investigate this matter." He pulled out the letter from that morning.

Inspector Abberline examined the letter carefully. Lord Randall told him to always make sure that the letter was actually written by the Queen. Abberline was not sure why Lord Randall was so picky and paranoid about these things, especially around the Earl of Phantomhive, but he did not question the Chief Inspector's motives. Inspector Abberline verified that the letter had actually been written by the Queen, and he handed this letter back to Ciel.

"It looks like you're telling the truth. I'll escort you to the autopsy room. Try not to irritate Lord Randall, though. He will not like that I'm permitting you to do this," announced Abberline, muttering the last sentence under his breath. And with that, Ciel and Sebastian were taken to the autopsy room to see Sir Walter Scott.

" _ **ABBERLINE!**_ I thought I told you about this!" Lord Arthur Randall bellowed, gesturing to the side where Ciel and Sebastian stood. The poor inspector took the blows of Lord Randall's words and stood meekly before the Chief Inspector.

"He did have a letter from the Queen, though-" began Abberline, but Lord Randall would not hear another word from the inferior inspector.

"I don't care if he has a bloody invitation! This is _my_ investigation, and I will not have _**anyone**_ interfering with it!" Lord Randall exclaimed.

"It was Her Majesty's orders for me to conduct further investigation of the case, Lord Randall," Ciel chimed in. "Even _you_ can see that this case is no ordinary homicide case."

"I can see that, little boy, but I don't think this is a case for a _child_ like you to be toying around with," Lord Randall growled.

"Oh really, Arthur? As I was conducting my investigation, I was attacked by a group of thugs who so happened to have riflemen stationed on the rooftops, ready to shoot me. I nearly died today, because these fellows were trying to prevent me from investigating the crime scene. I must have been set up today, because I found _this_ on one of the thugs during the little skirmish," Ciel commented, taking out a pocketwatch that, when opened, revealed a red cross-like insignia underneath the lid. _Silence_. Lord Randall could not speak out against this boy, this child who somehow made it out of that situation alive, if he is indeed telling the truth. This made him all the more enraged and flustered, especially because the boy addressed him by his first name.

"I believe that after all of this went on, I can 'toy around' with this investigation. Now, you will tell me _**everything**_ you know regarding the case," Ciel commanded with a smirk. Lord Randall, irritably and reluctantly, took Ciel to the table holding the body of Sir Walter Scott.

"Cover your faces. The stench will make you vomit if you take even a small whiff," Lord Randall warned. Ciel and Abberline covered their noses. Sebastian did so as well, only because he would look suspicious if he didn't. Once he saw everyone cover their faces so as not to inhale death's putrid stench, Lord Randall pulled the white sheet covering Sir Walter's body. Sir Walter lay cold on the table, with multiple stab wounds visible on his body.

"According to our pathologists, the murder took place between the hours of 11 o'clock and 1. The stab wounds were inflicted by multiple people at once, because each stab wound was made by various knives or daggers, whatever it is they used. Either way, it ensured his death. It also seemed like the culprits tried to clean up the act, and they also robbed Sir Walter of a few of his belongings, due to his clothes looking out of place in certain areas. He was picked clean, for sure. What I find rather odd, though, is why Sir Walter chose to wear beggar-like clothing if he is of nobility," Lord Randall explained.

"Well, he is in Whitechapel. If he wore anything too conspicuous, he would find himself beat-up in an alley and stripped of money and possibly his fancy suit," Ciel remarked.

"Yes, but why would he even _be_ at Whitechapel anyway? He could have sent one of his servants to complete whatever task he had set to complete last night," stated Lord Randall. "That is the question that I have been pondering for quite some time."

"And still no answer? What a pity," Ciel commented. The young Earl was rather amused at seeing Lord Randall irked by his very presence.

"And you dare to think that you can produce an answer faster than I can with my team of experts?" Lord Randall retorted.

"Yes. In fact, I've been doing that for quite some time already. Now, is there anything else about Sir Walter or the crime scene that was odd?" answered Ciel. _It would be rather pointless to argue about who is better at solving cases for the Queen,_ Ciel thought to himself.

"We took pictures of the blood streaks where the body was dragged from its original position, as you may have already noticed in your little excursion to Whitechapel. The culprits cleaned up fairly well for being in the dark of night, like I said. There was nothing left of the crime scene but the body," Lord Randall irritably explained as he placed the white sheet over Sir Walter again.

"I was not finished looking at Sir Walter-" Ciel spoke out, but Lord Randall interrupted by saying, "I gave you _enough_ information regarding the investigation. Now, since you seem to be so confident about solving this case before me, as if this was some petty race, then you are more than capable of figuring the rest of the details out on your own. Now leave."

"Hmph. Very well. Good day, Lord Randall. Try not to punish Inspector Abberline too harshly; he was only doing his duty as an _honorable_ inspector should," quipped Ciel as he left the autopsy room and Scotland Yard's headquarters. Sebastian followed the boy; they entered a carriage and paid the driver to take them back to the Phantomhive Estate.

"I think he knows more than he's letting on," the young Earl surmised on the way home.

"Indeed, for I spotted something rather unusual on the body of Sir Walter as Lord Randall droned on about his speculations of the case," Sebastian commented.

"Well?"

"I will tell you when we arrive at the manor. It's too dangerous speaking of it here, especially after what happened earlier," Sebastian concluded. The boy nodded, knowing all too well that he would like to avoid these near-death experiences at all costs. The horses pulled the carriage onward, moving along past the outskirts of London and towards the forested area that surrounded the Phantomhive Estate.


	5. 4: The Earl, Perplexed

_**Phantomhive Estate**_

Ciel had been pondering over the sight of the body of Sir Walter after taking a long bath. The Earl now sat in his office, files of the case spread all over his desk. _Lord Randall's information was vague. He did not say enough about the culprits to Sir Walter's murder. If he was telling the truth, he would not be making that big a deal over keeping me from investigating this case,_ Ciel pondered. _He and that mysterious man who saved me... They both said not to go deeper into this case. But why?_

Sebastian came in with tea and a slice of black forest cake. He smelled like smoke and burnt meat, and he had an almost exasperated look on his face.

"Hm. It took you a while to get here this late afternoon," Ciel commented. He smiled when the butler gave him an irritable look.

"I apologize for the delay," Sebastian replied. "I had to fix up the garden, the kitchen, and let's not forget the mess that Mei-Rin made in dropping the Rose china tea set."

"I'll leave it up to you to punish the fools accordingly," Ciel uttered, then went back to work, trying to analyze the details of the case.

The butler poured some tea into one of the less elegant teacups, since the Rose china was destroyed. He put the teacup and saucer by his Young Master, making sure to keep it away from the documents. Sebastian then commented, saying, "You have called me up here for more than just tea, I reckon?" He set the black forest cake by the teacup and saucer.

"Yes. You said, earlier, that you had seen something on the body of Sir Walter Scott before Lord Randall covered it up," Ciel inquired.

"Indeed."

"What did you see?"

"I had taken the liberty to look at the rest of the body, besides the areas of the stab wounds. I noticed that Sir Walter's signet ring was still on his finger. I wondered why the ring was still there, so I removed it from Sir Walter's finger, and, to my surprise, I found a sort of unusual symbol branded on his finger, hidden underneath the signet ring," Sebastian related to the Earl.

Ciel pulled out a piece of paper and a fountain pen, and gave it to Sebastian. "Show me," the boy commanded. The butler smiled and drew the symbol perfectly as he remembered it. It was a rather unusual insignia. It was not the same symbol as the one inside the pocketwatch of the thug.

"I don't understand... what is it?" Ciel uttered softly. He examined the symbol carefully on all angles, trying to understand its significance.

"I have pondered and speculated this for a long time, but... it looks like an Alpha and Omega to me," Sebastian replied.

"How? Explain it to me," Ciel demanded. He gave Sebastian another blank piece of paper.

"Watch," Sebastian simply stated. Then, he drew the capital letter _Alpha_ above the capital letter _Omega_ on the top half of the piece of paper. "At first, these letters seem to have little resemblance to the insignia in the other paper. But, turn the capital letter _Omega_ into a lowercase _Omega,_ then take away the horizontal line in the capital letter _Alpha_." Sebastian drew _Alpha_ again, except without the horizontal line. Finally, he drew lowercase _Omega_ underneath the _Alpha_ on the bottom half of the page. Suddenly, the symbol Sebastian drew looked roughly like the insignia on the other page.

"Why Alpha and Omega though...? What is this organization?" Ciel pondered.

"I don't know. Whoever they are, they believe in the beginning and end of something..." Sebastian muttered.

"Beginning and end?" Ciel asked, starting to become more confused as Sebastian continued analyzing.

"Indeed. It could be the beginning and end of life..." Sebastian speculated. He smiled at the thought.

"How do you know this? What brings you to this conclusion?" Ciel irritably demanded.

"You should know what _Alpha_ and _Omega_ are from our daily lessons, Young Master," Sebastian remarked indifferently.

" _Alpha_ is the first letter of the Greek Alphabet, and _Omega_ is the last. But how-" Ciel commented, then paused to think about the connection. "Sebastian... We are dealing with a group of assassins. If what you say is true, and _Alpha_ and _Omega_ could symbolize the beginning and end of life... Sir Walter is an assassin!"

"But a group of people killed the assassin before the assassin had a chance to kill anyone," Sebastian pointed out. "Remember, Young Master, we do not know anything about either groups' motives... We only know that The Queen ordered you to investigate the Sir Walter case..."

"Yes, and we were ambushed by a group of people from _this_ organization as we were conducting our investigation," Ciel said as he pulled out the pocketwatch with the red cross insignia again. "It looks like the more we know, the more we don't know..."

"Indeed," Sebastian concluded. He looked out the window and said, "It's almost dark now, Young Master. And you have yet to finish your tea."

"I don't think I'm in the mood to finish my tea right now..." Ciel muttered. "I'm growing tired already, and it hasn't even been a day investigating the case." The boy yawned.

"You should get some rest, Young Master. You have had a long day," Sebastian insisted. He put away the teacup and saucer and the black forest cake slice. Ciel stood up and rubbed his eyes. Sebastian already began to light the candles on his candlestick holder.

"Let us retire for the day," Ciel yawned. Sebastian chuckled as he answered with, "Of course, Young Master." The butler escorted the boy to his bedroom.

Darkness soon covered the Phantomhive Estate. The only natural light glowing in the night was the light of the full moon. The soft moonlight shone over all of England and created shadows from the objects it caressed. They were especially apparent in the park behind the Phantomhive Estate.

It seems that wherever there is darkness, there is also light. And where there is light, there are also shadows. During a night like this, the light does not shine as brightly over all of the world as it does in the daytime. When the world is taken by light during the day though, darkness is driven away, and the only thing left are the shadows that give depth and form to the objects that the rays of light touch.

No matter how bright and powerful light is, there will always be shadows.

 _** Just a quick note about the information regarding the meaning of the insignia mentioned earlier, I must give credit to the_ _ **Assassin's Creed Wiki**_ _page for all of the analysis regarding the insignia. Most of the ideas presented about the insignia were not my own, and you have_ _**User blog Alexander C. Miles**_ _to thank for the majority of the ideas presented here (approximately 99% of the insignia analysis is all his. I just made up Sebastian's speculations about the life and death stuff, thus taking up the missing 1%. ^^; ). The following is the link to his article on the Assassin's Creed Wiki about his theory regarding the insignia, if you wish to be enlightened. ;)_

 _ **wiki/User_blog:Alexander_C._Miles/The_secret_meaning_of_the_Assassin_insignia:_my_theory**_


	6. 5: The Earl, Uncovering Secrets

_**Headline**_ **: ANOTHER NOBLEMAN MURDERED**

"You're kidding me!" Ciel cried out in fury as he tossed the newspaper aside. It was the day after he had just investigated Sir Walter's murder at Scotland Yard, and already another murder took place.

"These people do not wait to take the opportunity to strike, so it seems," Sebastian commented.

Ciel sat back down, much too enraged to continue eating his breakfast. "Schedule back everything. I want to get this case solved as _quickly_ as possible," Ciel commanded.

"I already took the liberty of doing so, Young Master," Sebastian replied, "though I hope you are not rescheduling everything so that you can avoid your daily lessons."

"I am in no mood for jokes, Sebastian," Ciel retorted. "If the killers are working ten steps ahead of us already, then we must catch up to them."

"It seems like you have been challenged by these opponents."

"I will not rest until they are taken care of. Let us hurry before Scotland Yard stops looking at Sir Walter and starts focusing on this crime scene," Ciel concluded as Sebastian helped him put on his coat. _Let these killers play their silly little game. I will be sure to win the battle soon enough..._

 _ **Liverpool Street Station, London**_

Police directed the flow of traffic as people crowded around the crime scene. Though some tried to stay away from the scene of the crime, curiosity got the better of them. Unfortunately, after looking at the body of the nobleman, the bystanders soon realized that they wished they had not seen the monstrosity that lay before them. Ciel and Sebastian, after being dropped off by a carriage, walked up to the Chief of Police.

"Excuse me, little boy, but you cannot view the crime scene. If you'll please go to your left-" began the Police Chief before Ciel handed him the letter from the Queen about investigating the matter of Sir Walter.

"We believe that this murder is connected to Sir Walter Scott's murder," Ciel uttered. The Chief of Police nodded and allowed Ciel and Sebastian to view the crime scene while he and the other officers continued directing the people away from the crime scene.

Ciel had been hoping to see his rescuer, from the previous day, at the crime scene, not that the Guard Dog wanted the man to die. _If he was not hiding, and if he was here, maybe he would have provided me some clues as to what is going on here..._ Ciel thought to himself as he took a look at the nobleman's body. The boy had to cover his mouth with the handkerchief for fear of vomitting in front of everyone.

The nobleman's body was in complete disarray. It looked as though the poor man was soaked in a bloodbath with all the stabbing the perpetrators had done to him. He was barely recognizable in this state, but Ciel knew who he was from the papers.

"Lord Roland K. Fitch," Ciel muttered under his breath, "I hope you still have some evidence left in you."

"I'm afraid that everything on his body has been bloodied up, Earl Phantomhive. You're not going to be finding much hard evidence from his person," the Chief of Police remarked, but the boy ignored the comment as he looked carefully at the body. The stab wounds were similar to that of Sir Walter in that both men were attacked with different knives, at least, according to Lord Randall.

"Sebastian, I want you to search the body for evidence anyway," Ciel demanded.

"Yes, Young Master," was his reply. He then began to search the mutilated body carefully, without messing up the crime scene. He soon found a bloodied up letter in Fitch's inner coat pocket. Sebastian hid this in his own coat pocket so as to avoid losing it. The butler continued to search the body until all of the evidence was either taken note of or hidden behind his coat. The Police Chief was too busy to notice as he was directing the people away from the crime scene.

Ciel saw this, relieved that his investigation today went uninterrupted. Sebastian stood up after he had checked the body for anymore pieces of evidence. "Well, you're right, Chief," said the Guard Dog. "There was nothing to be found here." The Earl then underhandedly passed the Police Inspector a bag of coins.

"Do make sure that Lord Randall does not know we were ever here," were the boy's last words to the Police Chief for that day before leaving Liverpool Street Station. The Chief nodded an affirmation to this as he tucked away the bag of coins in his uniform. The Earl and his butler hopped back into the carriage. The horses began moving as the coachman encouraged them to, and the carriage began its relatively short journey back to the Phantomhive Estate.

Once the carriage began moving, Sebastian pulled out the little bits of evidence he had underneath his coat. Such tidbits included a pendant with the insignia from Sir Walter's finger incorporated into it, the bloodied letter, and a mechanism of some sort that releases a blade with some sort of triggering device.

"It was rather difficult to hide the mechanism beneath my coat," Sebastian explained as he handed the letter and the pendant to his young master. The boy took the two items, and examined them carefully. There was nothing much to examine from the pendant, but the letter was another matter. On the back of the envelope, there was only one name to whom the letter was addressed to: _**Lockaby**_. On the other side of the envelope, there was a wax seal bearing Fitch's coat of arms. Incorporated in that seal, though, was the same insignia on Fitch's pendant and on Sir Walter's finger. Ciel took mental note of this and tucked the letter and pendant into his inner suit pocket. He could not risk any of Fitch's and Scott's killers to be coming after him now.

Meanwhile, Sebastian had been examining the mechanism. He concluded from his observations that this curious device would extend and retract the blade by quick wrist movement. There was a triggering device that would allow the blade to extend when there was the need to kill discreetly. It barely made a sound when triggered. The glide of the sharp weapon as it was released was smooth, too; there was no jerking motion involved in its release at all. It was a very nifty weapon, especially for defending oneself from potential threats. _The Young Master may be able to use this in case he has a chance encounter with an opponent in close proximity to him,_ Sebastian thought as he continued examining the mechanism.

The two of them were so caught up in the business of this case, that they had nearly forgotten that the carriage was already pulling up to the entrance of the Phantomhive Estate.

 _ **Master's Office, Phantomhive Estate**_

"Lockaby,

As you may have already guessed, Scott's dead. I don't know how the Templars found out, but they're onto me. Enclosed is a map indicating the site where the Piece of Eden is possibly located. I have little information regarding the Piece of Eden itself, especially because Scott was supposed to give us the translation notes regarding the Codex pages we found in Italy. The Templars probably found his translation notes and kept it for themselves. As for the Codex page, I believe it is still with Darby. I just hope the Templars don't kill me before this letter reaches you. Yours, etc."

Ciel looked over this letter a few times. Templars, Piece of Eden, Codex pages. _Well, that explains the red cross symbol on that pocketwatch_ , Ciel thought to himself. _Just who are these people, going against the Templars anyway? It sounds like they're fighting over some treasure... this "Piece of Eden". Now the question is, what is the Piece of Eden? Why do both parties want this "treasure" so badly?_ The Earl sipped some of his tea as he set aside the letter and began examining the map of the location of the "Piece of Eden".

Sebastian came in with a list of notes, including those he made earlier at the crime scene that morning. He walked up to his master's desk and spoke, saying, "I found the addresses of the people who you asked for. Neither of the two are to be found anywhere in London."

"Then where are they?" Ciel inquired.

"Surprisingly, these two are located in the countryside. Nicholas T. Darby, a gentleman in possession of a large sum of money, lives in an estate called Darbyshire, which is close to a country village called West Templeton. As for Lockaby, I have found very little infomation about him. All the rumors I have been hearing are that he travels abroad and rarely ever stays in England for a while. Some say he lives in London, but most other people say that he lives in the countryside. They did not specify which part of the countryside Lockaby lived, mainly because they have heard so many versions of one story that they do not know which is true of Lockaby's whereabouts. Either way, this Lockaby person was very clever in concealing himself so, despite all of the attention people give him," Sebastian related.

"Well, let us pay his friend, Darby, a visit, then," Ciel suggested. "Maybe he will know precisely where Lockaby is located."

"Let us hope so," Sebastian commented. "Shall I reserve two seats for the next train to West Templeton, Young Master?"

"Of course," Ciel agreed as he put on the mechanism underneath his sleeves and released the trigger. _This will certainly come in handy,_ Ciel thought as he put away all the evidence found at the crime scene in his desk drawer. He locked the drawer tightly, then prepared his luggage for the trip.


	7. 6: The Earl, Sallying About the Country

_**La Gare Rouge**_

A few days after the investigation of the second murder in Liverpool, Ciel and Sebastian rode in one of the first-class cars of the train, La Gare Rouge. They had a relatively large compartment in their train car. Sebastian closed the curtains on the windows of the compartment. The less attention they attracted, the better.

"How far away are we from West Templeton?" Ciel asked as his butler took a seat across from him.

"We're almost there, Young Master," Sebastian reassured the boy. "It will be a few short hours until we reach our destination."

"Do you think it was wise to leave Mei-Rin, Finny, Bard, and Tanaka at the Estate?"

"I'm not so sure of it myself... Well, if we find the Estate dilapidated and quite possibly in ruins, I will have to force them to rebuild it."

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just fired them all?"

"I could, but that would take the fun out of it," Sebastian replied with a wink. Ciel smirked as he imagined the sight of Sebastian yelling at the other servants, commanding them to put the manor together to the exact detail.

Just as the two of them were about to relax, the train suddenly halted. All of the passengers experienced a whiplash. Ciel hit his head against the wall. The only person who did not get hurt by all of this was Sebastian. When the train made a complete stop, a group of menacing men began boarding each train car.

"Sebastian, what's going on?! Why did the train stop?!" Ciel demanded, but the butler put a finger to his lips to signal to his master that if he was to live, he needed to be quiet. The group of men who entered the first-class train car seemed to be asking the passengers in each compartment about something. The only things Sebastian could hear from the window were "Earl Phantomhive" and "unfinished business". Both phrases had formidable undertones in them, especially because of the way these men expressed it.

"Young Master, you must hide in my suitcase," Sebastian whispered.

"What?!" Ciel whispered back incredulously.

"These men must be Templars. They have found us out," Sebastian continued. "Hurry! I will wear my tutor disguise."

"You have got to be kidding me," Ciel quietly complained as Sebastian opened up an empty suitcase. The boy climbed inside and hugged his knees, rather apprehensive about the situation. Sebastian quickly put on his tutoring disguise. The group of men could be heard coming closer and closer to their apartment.

"Hurry!" Ciel whispered harshly. Sebastian put on his spectacles, then closed the suitcase hiding his Young Master. He quickly tossed the suitcase onto the top shelf above the seats when the group of men began to knock on the compartment door.

" 'Ey! Open up! We got a few questions for you!" one of the men yelled. Sebastian opened up the compartment's sliding door.

"I apologize; I was just waking up," Sebastian apologized sincerely.

"Do you know where the Earl of Phantomhive is? He's supposedly boarding this train," the leader of the men inquired.

"I am afraid I do not know who you are talking about," Sebastian replied, feigning ignorance.

"The other passengers said they thought they saw the Earl. Why did _you_ not know this?" another man in the group inquired, giving Sebastian a doubting glare.

"I was running late for the train," the butler lied.

"Hm. I don't believe you. Especially because you're dressed so modestly for one riding in the first-class car," the man commented.

"Is how I am dressed significant to the fact that I have no idea of the whereabouts of this Earl you speak of?" Sebastian retorted.

" 'Ey, don't get smart with me," the man threatened.

"If I was not intelligent, what kind of a tutor would I be?" Sebastian replied indifferently. This angered the man, and he was about to punch Sebastian, when the butler eloquently broke the man's arm. He did it with such ease and grace that the other men in the group stepped back in shock, proclaiming this to be witchcraft. The man with the now broken arm screamed violently.

"What the bloody hell- what are you?!" one of the men exclaimed.

Sebastian only smiled at this. He chuckled, then answered, "I am simply one _hell_ of a tutor."

Meanwhile, inside the suitcase, Ciel could hear the men crying out in pain. _So much for trying_ _ **not**_ _to attract attention_ , thought the boy as he continued to listen to the pain and suffering these men were enduring.

Sebastian took care of the men quickly, so that by the time the passengers came out of their compartments to look at the scene, the perpetrators were already on the ground. The passengers looked to Sebastian, who did not seem injured at all by the 'melee'.

"They were fighting amongst themselves," Sebastian explained. "They were hoping to find the Earl of Phantomhive in this compartment." The people began talking amongt themselves, discussing the matter at hand. Some seemed to recall seeing the young Earl, but then they dissuaded themselves, saying that they probably saw someone else who looked like the Earl. The conductor of the train soon came upon the scene with two policemen following him.

" _These_ are the men who stopped the train and pulled a gun at me, forcing me to direct them to Earl Phantomhive!" the conductor testified as he pointed accusingly at the men now lying on the ground. The two policemen looked rather confused, wondering how in the world these men could have broken their arms and legs while near this particular compartment. They pondered this as they took the men away as carefully as they could, so as not to injure them further. As the policemen carried the men out of the train, Sebastian saw a faint glimmer of a Templar pendant underneath one of the men's suits.

The conductor sighed with relief, then looked to Sebastian. "Are you alright, sir? Were those men bothering you about Earl Phantomhive, too?"

"Indeed; they threatened to shoot me if I did not tell them," replied Sebastian.

"I'm sorry, sir. I can assure you that this situation will not happen again on this train," the conductor apologized. "I'm not the conductor for the first-class train. I only worry about the economy-class train cars."

"Ah, well, it was a very good thing that neither you nor the conductor for the first-class cars were present here. Otherwise, violence would have ensued, and this train would surely receive _terrible_ reviews after whatever incident would have happened," Sebatian commented.

"I have to agree with you, sir, though it's rather strange that those men would suddenly have broken arms..." the conductor muttered underneath his breath. He shrugged off the thought, then said as jovially as he could fake it, "I hope you enjoy the rest of your journey." He left to take care of the passengers in his own cars.

"Is it over yet, Sebatian?!" Ciel cried out from inside the suitcase. "It's getting rather stuffy in here!"

"My apologies, Young Master, but I had to ward off everyone who thought you were here," Sebastian said whispered as he opened up the suitcase and let his master out. Ciel gasped for air as soon as Sebastian opened up the rectangular prison. The boy climbed out of the suitcase as if his life depended upon it. He stretched his arms and legs from the stiff and tight position.

"Never ask me to do that again, do you understand me?" Ciel commanded with a glare. The butler was amused. "Of course, Young Master," he replied as he closed the sliding compartment door.

Ciel rubbed his head as he sat back down in his seat; then he dusted off his suit. He remarked on the experience, saying, "Did they actually point out a gun at you?"

"No," answered Sebastian. Ciel smiled at this, amused at his butler's white lies.

"Well, I guess I did not have to use that hidden blade device after all," Ciel concluded. He flicked his wrist and released the blade. He examined his reflection from the steel blade, particularly the right side of his face, where his contract was covered by the eyepatch. As he examined his reflection, studying his features, the train began moving once again to complete its journey to West Templeton.

 _ **Darbyshire, West Templeton**_

It was mid-afternoon when the Guard Dog and his butler arrived at Darbyshire by carriage. The sun was starting to set as the carriage pulled into the estate grounds.

Darbyshire was a very grand estate. The acreage of the area was enormous; it takes at least thirty gardeners to keep the grounds looking crisp and clean. The manor itself was rather large; it certainly gave the Phantomhive Estate a run for its money. It was almost like a small castle, but modernized to have Victorian elements added to it.

Ciel looked out at the grand estate as the carriage made its way to the entrance of the manor. He scoffed. "Of course he can afford to have a nice estate; he's living in the bloody countryside," Ciel muttered under his breath.

"Remember why we are here, Young Master. It is not to grow jealous about wealth," Sebastian admonished lightly.

"Hmhm. You're right. It's time to get serious," Ciel commented as the carriage pulled in at the round to the staircase that leads to the front door. A servant opened the posh carriage door for the two. Sebastian climbed out first, then helped his master out of the carriage. The servant closed the carriage door behind the two, and the coachmen drove the carriage away. The Earl gazed up at the front door, somewhat apprehensive. _There's no going back now,_ the boy had to tell himself as he climbed the marble stairs and reached the large, formidable doors before him. Sebastian climbed the stairs with his master, then knocked on the door using the wolf-shaped door knockers.

After a few short moments, Darby's butler answered the door and spoke, saying, "Earl Phantomhive. Mr. Darby has been expecting you. Please, do come in." Ciel was rather surprised, seeing that he did not call on "Mr. Darby" for any kind of visit, and vice versa. The boy looked at his butler, a bit of surprise apparent in his expression. Sebastian looked back at the boy with suspicion of Mr. Darby in his eyes. The two of them entered the manor and followed Darby's butler up the stairs of the foyer to where Mr. Darby was located.

"He is right in here," the butler said as he led the two of them to a room with a set of large double doors. Ciel quietly thanked the humble servant for leading him and Sebastian here. The Darby's butler bowed and left the vicinity. Now, the young boy was apprehensive about meeting "Mr. Darby". _What if he tries to kill me...?_ The Earl gulped as he put a shaking hand on the doorknob. He turned the rounded doorknob in the clockwise direction. Slowly, carefully, quietly, cautiously, the boy opened the door just a crack to take a peek into the room. It looked like a library behind the doors, and standing in front of the large windows in the library was a tall, silhouetted figure, his back facing the door. Ciel opened the door a bit more and entered the room, somewhat relieved that the silhouette figure was standing quite a distance away from him. Sebastian entered with his master and took notice of the silhouetted figure at the other side of the library.

"So, Earl Phantomhive, long time, no see. I heard about the stopping of La Gare Rouge, and I hope you are not hurt from that incident. My men took great care that those Templar men got what they deserved," the man said.

Ciel's eyes widened. _That voice... That figure... It can't be..._

"It's you... my rescuer from before!" Ciel silently exclaimed. "Are _you_ Mr. Darby...?"

The man turned around to face the boy and his butler, smiling. "Ah, so you remember me, after all. I am, indeed, Nicholas T. Darby, of the House of Darby. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Earl Phantomhive."


	8. 7: The Earl, Enlightened

_**Darbyshire**_

Sebastian Michaelis noted Mr. Darby's appearance while his master and the gentleman were eating their supper. Darby had pale blonde hair, thick and curly, and he had bright blue eyes. They were not an icy blue; rather, they were a deep bright blue that would remind anyone of the sea, if one wished to feel nostalgic about that.

His nose was as sharp as his wit, the butler observed. The gentleman talked all the day long about his business ventures and the many success he has had in his "speculations" with other businessmen regarding the textile mills in Manchester and Milton. He occasionally tied in a few awful jokes in the conversation to try and lighten the mood in the room, but Earl Phantomhive meant business, and he was in no mood for musings and puns.

Darby cleared his throat. "Well, anyways, I suppose you're not here for economic matters, Earl Phantomhive," said Darby.

"No," Ciel replied, and he took out the letter, which was addressed to "Lockaby", from his inner suit pocket. He held out the letter as if to give it to the gentleman. Darby suddenly stood up to claim it, but the Earl pulled back the letter, bringing it closer to himself as if to taunt Darby into playing some sort of game.

The gentleman smirked. "I guess the joke's on me." He chuckled a bit, then replied with a more serious expression on his face, "I see there's a bit of blood on that letter. Pray, tell me, Earl Phantomhive, whose body did you rob _that_ from?"

"Lord Fitch; I believe he was a friend of yours," Ciel answered, a calculating gleam in his eye. "Yours and Lockaby's."

"So you know Lockaby? No, of course not, you're still new to this," Darby commented.

"So who exactly is this 'Lockaby' you keep talking about?" Ciel inquired.

"He is a friend of mine," Darby tersely replied.

"Yes, I know that, but tell me what he has to do with this 'business' about the Templars," Ciel remarked.

"... Do you really wish to walk past the point of no return?" Darby warned. He had been quite serious in his comment, with a look of concern as if the boy would not last one second with the information he had to give him.

The Earl chuckled. "I'm the Queen's Guard Dog. My ancestors, generations past, put me in this position. If I couldn't handle all of the cases assigned to me by the Queen, I would not be here."

This time, it was Darby's turn to smile. "I will see you in my office after dinner, Earl Phantomhive. I'll explain everything there." He walked out of the dining hall, leaving the boy and his butler all alone to finish the evening meal.

"Should we trust him?" Ciel questioned as he sipped his tea.

"I believe we should see what he has to say first before we automatically come to trust in his words," Sebastian replied quietly as stayed with his Young Master through supper.

Darby's office was not as grand as the rest of the Darbyshire manor. It was rather unkempt, with papers in disarray on the desk and books left open on the ground. When Ciel and Sebastian entered the office, the Phantomhive butler was quite tempted to clean up the mess in the office. He was disappointed that a gentleman like him would not allow his servants to put order to the horrible excuse of an office.

Darby stood by the large windows in his office, looking out at the park behind the large manor. When the two entered the room, the gentleman turned around and faced them. He chuckled at Sebastian's disapproving expression.

"Do not worry about the mess," Darby reassured. "This is not my real office."

The gentleman walked over to a large portrait depicting a middle-aged man, presumed to be the late Mr. Darby, Nicholas's father. The current Darby moved an ornate wooden chair in front of the painting and stood on the seat of the chair. He pulled out a key, the handle of the key bearing the same insignia of Sir Walter and Lord Fitch. The gentleman stuck the key into a small, barely visible keyhole on the right side of the portrait's frame. _A turn. A click._ The portrait seemed to open up like a door, revealing a passage deep into the dark depths of the manor.

Darby stepped off the chair to open the door all the way. He lit a lantern, stepped back onto the chair, and climbed into the entrance of the passageway. He turned around and smiled. "If you will please follow me to the _real_ office."

The expression on Ciel's face was enough to make Darby chuckle a little. The mechanics of the portrait door was genius, no doubt. Even the butler was pleasantly surprised by this turn of events. Sebastian helped his master up the chair and into the passageway. He himself stepped up into the entrance. Darby set his lantern down and moved the chair aside from the edge of the entranceway. He then walked over to his lantern, picked it up, and pulled a chain hanging from the cieling. The portrait door closed behind Ciel and Sebastian. _Click._ The door was locked once again.

"This way," Darby motioned for Ciel and Sebastian to follow the light down the dark corridor. The two of them obeyed, looking around as they walked along. Cobwebs decorated the cieling of the corridor. The air had a musty smell to it, one that the boy was not fond of. Ciel covered his nose with a handkerchief so as not to breathe in the scent. Darby seemed quite used to it as he led them all the way to another locked door. He pulled out the same key he used for the portrait door and unlocked this door.

He manually opened the door to reveal a grander office, decorated in a red and silver color-scheme. An assortment of weapons lay in a display case on the right wall, including various daggers and swords. To the left wall was a display case filled with an assortment of rifles and handguns. A large desk fit for an emporer stood near the back wall, with what looked like books, scrolls, and ancient documents littered in the bookshelves behind the desk.

"I apologize for the mess; you can't be too sure. I had an engineer design the office for me so that I can keep my identity as an Assassin a secret," Darby explained.

"It is a clever design, indeed," Ciel commented. "Now, you said you were some sort of 'assassin'? What were you and your cohorts up to that would cause the Templars to want to kill Sir Walter and Lord Fitch? How is it involved with this 'Piece of Eden'? In fact, where is this Codex page that you're hiding that holds the secrets of this 'Piece of Eden'?"

"You read the bloody letter?!" cried out Darby.

"I'm the Queen's Guard Dog; I have every right to open up documents that would help me in my investigation of the matter at hand, which are the murders of Sir Walter and now that of Lord Fitch," Ciel replied indifferently.

"Yes, yes, I will explain all of that shortly," promised Darby. He cleared his throat and inquired, "Tell me why you have taken such an interest in this case, though, besides the fact that the Queen asked you to take this on."

"There is no other reason but that the Queen gave me an order and I am following her orders to the letter," Ciel replied.

"... So you're not doing this for your bloodline? Not even to avenge those who have tainted your family's honor?"

"... I beg your pardon?"

"This isn't about your parents in any way? Not even about your father...?"

Ciel snapped. "You dare mention my parents, _my past_ , in front of me? You think yourself _well-acquainted_ with me as to bring up a subject in so nonchalant a way?! I will make this _**very**_ clear; if you dare to discuss my past with me ever again, I will _personally_ -"

"I ask because your father was part of the Assassin Order, Earl Phantomhive," Darby interjected. "He has been an integral part in helping our cause."

The boy stood still, eyes widened, barely breathing as this news hits him at his core. He wanted to say something, but not even a single whisper would come out of his mouth. Sebastian was surprised as well, wondering how this little secret slipped past his fingers. He knew all that there was to know about his Young Master. Then again, he only knew what his Young Master knew. The boy was quite young then... His innocence blinded him of any concept regarding _assassins_ and _murder_.

"Please, sit, Earl Phantomhive. You, too, Mr. Michaelis," Darby spoke as he gestured to the chairs in front of the desk. Sebastian helped his Young Master to a chair, seeing as he was still quite shocked from this news. The butler sat in the chair beside his Young Master, feeling rather odd that, as a servant, he would be allowed to be seated before noblemen such as the Earl and Mr. Darby.

Darby sighed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to explain everything to the best of my ability. I'll do my best to summarize the details without going off on a tangent. I think it best to start from the beginning, at least to what history has recorded and what we have discovered thus far..."

"The earliest records we have uncovered and hidden away in the Assassin Archives are journal pages originating in the Middle Ages, particularly during the time of the Crusades. These records, the Codex pages, are important documents that lay the foundation to the Creed we Assassins live by, and the secrets that the Master Assassin Altair had discovered from using this mystical object called the 'Piece of Eden'. It was with this object that he discovered engineering improvements to the hidden blade, the weapon we Assassins are well-known for. He also wrote in the Codex pages about his philosophies of life, as was revealed to him by the Piece of Eden, which is also known as the 'Apple of Eden'. I guess you can say that the Assassin Order _really_ began in that time, because the Creed was fully established.

"Now, we are quite different from any average hitman because we Assassins abide by the Creed, which includes these three basic tenets: _Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent, hide in plain sight, and never compromise the Brotherhood_. I broke the second tenet to save you, Earl Phantomhive, and I wasn't let off so easily by my Mentor. Anytime we break a tenet, we are punished. If all three tenets are broken, we are most likely punished by death. Anyway, this Creed is what sets us apart from any ordinary assassin or hitman because we are _united_ by it. That is who we Assassins _are_.

"Of course, you wish to know of your father's involvement in the Assassin Brotherhood, yes? Well, I think to better explain the situation, I must discuss with you the Templars' motives. Over the years, starting with the Crusades, which is as far back as we know, the Templars have been seeking the Piece of Eden for the sole purpose of bringing order to the world by means of force, thus creating a 'utopia' where free-will is out of the question. Their ideals contrast ours, because we believe that man has the right to control his own fate and that peace is not obtained through the absolute control of the people. We have fought to protect the freedom of people in this secret war against the Templars. Throughout all of history, we Assassins fought, bled, and died for the people's right to free-will. The fight still goes on today, and the Templars are acting quickly to be rid of the Assassins so that they can find the Piece of Eden."

"So the Piece of Eden is here? In England?" Ciel asked.

"Yes. The Brotherhood has fought to protect it from the clutches of the Templars. There was a time when the Assassin Brotherhood was stronger than it is today, and that was all because of your father, at least, according to my mentor, Lockaby. Publicly, Vincent Phantomhive was the Earl of Phantomhive. Underground, he was the Queen's Guard Dog. Deep in the shadows, he was the leader of a division of the Assassin Brotherhood in charge of keeping the Templars away from the Piece of Eden. We were progressing with the research splendidly because Vincent and his fellow assassins would distract the Templars and lead them away while the other Assassins in the Brotherhood were put in charge of translating and understanding the Codex pages of Master Assassin Altair. The research team was just about to analyze the Codex pages regarding the Apple of Eden, when the fire..."

"Please, do not speak of it..." Ciel muttered weakly. "It makes me ill remembering it..."

"... I'm sorry... Anyways, we believed that the Grand Master of the Templars had figured out our scheme and did away with the people responsible for leading them away from the Piece of Eden. Research progression has slowed exceedingly due to this. Our only hope for translating the few Codex pages discussing the Piece of Eden lay in the hands of Sir Walter Scott. He obtained a degree in Oxford in the field of the Language Arts, specifically in the study of Latin, the Romance languages, and languages of other roots, and he had been able to continue the research regarding the translation of the Codex pages. Unfortunately, he met his end in Whitechapel, and now the Templars have the translation notes that he was supposed to deliver to me. Lord Fitch also had a map of a possible location of the Piece of Eden, in which he met his demise as well, apparently. Who's to say I'm next, and the Templars will find the Codex page...?"

"So... all you know of the incident is that my parents were murdered by a bunch of Templars...?"

"Not _just_ a bunch of Templars... It seems as though they had some sort of otherworldly help... I just hope the Templars don't have a Piece of Eden of their own."

"Indeed..."

"... I know this has been a lot to take in, Earl Phantomhive. You must rest. You have travelled a long way to arrive here. If you have anymore questions regarding the Assassins and the case, I shall be more than willing to answer them. _**But**_ , I must ask you to keep this a secret from the authorities. You can never tell who you can trust these days..."

"I am willing to do more than that..." Ciel uttered with a gleam in his eye. He finally tossed the envelope onto the desk. Darby picked up the envelope and took out the letter, which also enclosed the map which pinpointed the possible location of the Apple of Eden.

"I'm impressed, Earl Phantomhive. You have come a long way to get this far in your investigations. Are you sure you want to help us out?"

"An enemy of my enemy is my friend," Ciel concluded. "I don't wish to join the Brotherhood just yet. I will help you by stopping the Templars from murdering another Assassin and obtaining this 'Apple of Eden' you keep speaking of, if you are, indeed, telling me the whole truth."

Darby frowned. He shook his head and sighed. "I'd hate to tell you this, Earl Phantomhive, but it's hard to stay on the middle ground once you have obtained all of this knowledge. Believe me, I tried, but I ended up walking on a tightrope, and the only thing that saved my life was knowing that there was a trampoline to catch me when I fell on the Assassin side." Darby unlocked the door and walked out of the office with his lantern. Sebastian took one of the many lit candlestick holders and stood by the door, waiting on his master to get up. Ciel stood up, a bit bewildered by Darby's reaction.

"Hmph. Can he truly think that I am incapable of remaining neutral about this whole situation?" Ciel scoffed.

"Well, even you can see that knowledge is power, and the by having such power, one must take great care to be responsible for it," Sebastian stated. "Now, let us get some rest." Ciel nodded in agreement, and the butler took his master off to the guest bedrooms so that they may rest from the day's exhausting events.


	9. 8: The Assassin, In Unfamiliar Territory

"Where... where am I?" muttered the young man as he surveyed his surroundings. He noticed the strange large stones placed in odd formations around him. The stones were set about in a circle formation, almost like dominoes. Some had fallen, some stood tall. Some had large stones set on top of the standing ones as if to form a sort of ceiling in sets of two walls of stone. The rest of the land was flat and grassy. A strong breeze blew to the west and blew down the man's white hood.

"Is this a dream...?" he asked himself as he stood up and dusted off his white and red robes. He looked at the ground, and saw a metal, spherical object, sitting in the center of the stone circle formations. He picked it up, and dusted it off.

"At least it's still safe..." the man muttered in his native tongue as he tucked the metal spherical object safely inside the pockets of his robes. He looked around once more to see if he could pinpoint a way to some sort of village to stay for the evening. _Nothing_. He sighed exasperatedly.

 _I guess I'll just have to walk_... the man thought to himself as he began walking towards the west, hoping that he will not have to walk too long to stumble upon a village or town of sorts.

 _ **West Templeton**_

It took him at least half a day of walking and getting a feel for his surroundings to reach a town called "West Templeton". The buildings looked very different from the buildings in his homeland. In fact, the young man found out just by listening to the people that he was not home at all. He could only understand bits and pieces of people's conversation, since he knew but a little English.

Their garb was strange, too, the man noted. The women's fashion was certainly different from the dresses he has seen the women of his country wear. The men were also wearing strange clothing. The sleeves of the men's suits were very simple, and so was the rest of their clothes in general. The white-robed man stood out from the rest of the people. He didn't mind the attention from the ladies, but the men were also staring at him. _I need to blend in,_ the man thought, _but how do I do that? I have money, but not the currency of this land. How can I avoid the attention of these people...?_

"Excuse me, good sir, are you lost?" an older man asked from behind the white-robed man. The man spun around quickly and aimed his arm at the other man. The older man was surprised by this turn of events, most especially by the insignia the robed man wore on the red cloth band around his waist.

 _So, he's one of us... but could it really be him...?_ the older man pondered. The robed man was still alert; he would not point his arm away. The people in town watched the strange robed man with his arm pointed at the older man, wondering why he was doing that. Only the older man recognized what the robed man's arm brace was.

"Do not worry, friend. You can trust me," the older man reassured. The robed man did not speak; he could not say what he wanted to say in English. He refused to lower his arm, so the older man had to take out a pocket-watch, which contained the same insignia that was on the man's red cloth belt under the lid of the watch. The older man showed the insignia to the young man.

When the he saw the symbol, the young man slowly lowered his arm, a little relieved that this man was of the same Order, and was not a Templar. The spectators were still confused, but went about their ways, though a little more cautious about their surroundings now.

"Io parlo un pochino di italiano," the older man said, gesturing with his hands to emphasize how little he speaks. "Mi chiamo _Lockaby_. Paul C. Lockaby."

"Ah, Messer Lockaby. Piacere di conoscerla," the robed man commented.

"Mi accompagni, per favore, Messer..."

" _Ezio_. Ezio Auditore da Firenze."

** Translation Notes (to make life easier) :

 **Lockaby** : _"I speak a little Italian. My name is Lockaby. Paul C. Lockaby."_

 **Ezio** : _"Ah, Mr. Lockaby. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

 **Lockaby** : _"Follow me, if you please, Mister..."_

 **Ezio** : _"_ Ezio _. Ezio Auditore da Firenze."_

 _If my translations are inaccurate, please feel free to comment below. I did the best that I could with the resources I had. Thank you!_


	10. 9: The Earl, Meeting the Assassin

_**Darbyshire**_

 _There was once upon a time a fisherman who lived with his wife in a miserable pigsty close by the sea, and every day he went out fishing. And once as he was sitting with his rod, looking at the clear water, his line suddenly went down, far down below, and when he drew it up again he brought out a large flounder. Then the flounder said to him, "Listen, you fisherman, I pray you, let me live, I am no flounder really, but an enchanted prince. What good will it do you to kill me? I should not be good to eat, put me in the water again, and let me go."_

 _"Come," said the fisherman, "there is no need for so many words about it - a fish that can talk I should certainly let go, anyhow." With that he put him back again into the clear water, and the flounder went to the bottom, leaving a long streak of blood behind him. Then the fisherman got up and went home to his wife in the pigsty._

 _"Husband," said the woman, "have you caught nothing today?"_

 _"No," said the man, "I did catch a flounder, who said he was an enchanted prince, so I let him go again."_

 _"Did you not wish for anything first?" said the woman._

 _"No," said the man; "what should I wish for?"_

 _"Ah," said the woman, "it is surely hard to have to live always in this dirty pigsty; you might have wished for a small cottage for us. Go back and call him. Tell him we want to have a small cottage, he will certainly give us that."_

 _"Ah," said the man, "why should I go there again?"_

 _"Why," said the woman, "you did catch him, and you let him go again; he is sure to do it. Go at once." The man still did not quite like to go, but did not like to oppose his wife, and went to the sea._

 _When he got there the sea was all green and yellow, and no longer smooth; so he stood still and said:_

 _"_ Flounder, flounder in the sea,

Come I pray you, here to me;

For my wife, good Isabel,

Has sent me here against my will."

 _Then the flounder came swimming to him and said, "Well, what does she want, then?"_

 _"Ah," said the man, "I did catch you, and my wife says I really ought to have wished for something. She does not like to live in a wretched pigsty any longer. She would like to have a cottage."_

 _"Go, then," said the flounder, "she has it already,"_

 _When the man went home, his wife was no longer in the pigsty, but instead of it there stood a small cottage, and she was sitting on a bench before the door. Then she took him by the hand and said to him, "just come inside, look, now isn't this a great deal better?" So they went in and there was a small porch, and a pretty little parlor and bedroom, and a kitchen and pantry, with the best furniture, and fitted up with the most beautiful things made of tin and brass, whatever was wanted. And behind the cottage there was a small yard, with hens and ducks, and a little garden with flowers and fruit. "Look, said the wife, "is not that nice!"_

 _"Yes," said the husband, "and so we must always think it. Now we will live quite contented."_

 _"We will think about that," said the wife. With that they ate something and went to bed._

 _ **~Excerpt from "The Fisherman and His Wife" by The Brothers Grimm***_

"...er...ster...Master...ng Master... Young Master!"

Ciel suddenly awoke and sat up, a bewildered look on the boy's face. Sebastian stepped back as his master suddenly jumped in his bed.

"Young Master, were you reading Edgar Allen Poe before going to bed, again? I have warned you many times about that and still, you insist on doing so," Sebastian admonished lightly.

"No, I had read nothing, especially after that bloody wake up call about my father being an Assassin, as Darby says he is..." Ciel muttered irritably.

"Then what is the matter? Did you have a bad dream?" asked Sebastian.

"It was not frightening. It was just... odd..." Ciel replied. "I dreamt I was a fisherman, and I caught a giant, talking, white and red fish. The fish had some sort of antennae with a golden sphere-thing at the end of it. It was an odd-looking fish. Anyway, it begged me to release it back into the ocean, and I did, and then I went home to some ugly little shack and some woman was nagging me to get the fish and wish for a nicer cottage. I did so, and the fish granted the woman her pretty little cottage. She _hardly_ seemed content though."

"... That's your dream?" Sebastian asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"Does it look like I'm joking, Sebastian?" Ciel commented, glaring at his butler.

"Hm. Maybe you were contemplating how Miss Elizabeth is doing. She misses you terribly, last I heard," Sebastian suggested as he took out a blue suit from the Master's suitcase.

"Well, the woman from my dream wasn't Elizabeth at all. If I was dreaming about Elizabeth, I would have dreamt of her decorating my manor with 'cute' things. _That_ would have been a nightmare, indeed..."

"Well, let us not speculate further. Mr. Darby has a guest, and according to what I heard from the other servants, it seems like a _Mr. Lockaby_ has come." Sebastian helped Ciel dress into the blue suit as he said this.

"Hm. Since Mr. Darby is so eager to have me become a part of his little group, I'm sure he won't mind if we trespass on his hospitality a little more. We must find out all we can from him and this _Lockaby_ while we are here so that we can find out who amongst the Templars may have given the motion to murder Sir Walter and Lord Fitch. Then we can finish this bloody business for the Queen and go home."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian replied as he tied a bow around Ciel's neck and tucked the bow underneath the shirt collar.

"Master Lockaby!" Darby exclaimed as he practically ran up to his old mentor and gave him a vigorous handshake.

"I'm glad that you're still very eager to see me, Nicky," Paul Lockaby eagerly replied with a chuckle. "Most people are not happy when I'm around; they'd rather have me dead!" He laughed heartily at this thought.

"Master Lockaby, if you could please not call me 'Nicky' in front of my guests; you know how that irritates me," Darby said with gritted teeth as he tried to keep on smiling.

"Well, I didn't know you had guests. I suspected you were all alone. Ah, well, the more the merrier, because look who I found roaming around town!" Lockaby gestured to the white-robed man standing behind him. "May I present to you this young man, Ezio Auditore!"

"... You can't be serious," the gentleman said with incredulity in his eyes. This time, Lockaby had become quite serious in his expression.

"He doesn't believe you are Ezio Auditore," Lockaby muttered to Ezio in Italian. The man pulled off his hood and revealed his face, then greeted Darby by saying, "Buongiorno, Messer."

"... I still don't believe you, Lockaby," Darby commented. Deep inside though, the gentleman wanted to believe, especially because he had been fantasizing of this very moment, when he could meet Ezio, have coffee with him at a café, and listen to his gallant stories about all of the assassinations he conducted. The mentor sighed.

"I guess you are taking 'Nothing is true' all too seriously, my boy," Lockaby muttered sarcastically underneath his breath.

Ciel had come out of his bedroom, dressed up neatly, with a well-groomed superiority in his countenance. He walked down the stairs of the foyer and was about to go into the dining hall for breakfast. Sebastian followed him down the foyer. The butler caught a glimpse of Lockaby, who noticed them just as soon as they came in sight.

"So, are these your guests, Nicholas?" Lockaby inquired as he spotted Ciel and Sebastian going towards the dining hall.

"Yes, yes," Darby replied as he turned around and saw Ciel and Sebastian. The two stopped and turned to see Darby, Lockaby, and the stranger in Renaissance-style clothing.

"This is the young, Earl Phantomhive and his butler, Mr. Michaelis. They inquired about the incident regarding Sir Walter and Lord Fitch," Darby introduced. Lockaby nodded, eyeing the boy, wondering how the child lived after the fire in the original Phantomhive Estate.

"Ah, how do you do? I'm Baron Paul C. Lockaby. I have heard much about your company, Earl Phantomhive. 'Funtom', was it?"

Ciel and Sebastian walked up to the group. "Yes, that is correct," replied the Earl. "We've heard much about you, too; particularly in a letter Lord Fitch was supposed to deliver to you."

"Well, I would have interrogated you about that letter, had it not been for the fact that you are conducting the investigation of his and Sir Walter's murder for the Queen," Lockaby said with a faint chuckle, trying to look amused. Darby could tell that his Mentor was not amused at all by this.

"Alright, well, my old mentor has brought a friend of his own," the gentleman spoke. "Earl Phantomhive, Mr. Michaelis, I'd like to introduce you to, um..." Darby did not wish to finish the sentence because he just couldn't believe it was _him_ , _Ezio Auditore_ , _in the flesh_.

"Buongiorno, Earl Phantomhive," Ezio greeted, trying to pronounce "Earl Phantomhive" to the best of his ability. He had a very thick Italian accent, so it certainly did not come out as perfect English. "I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze," Ezio stated in his native tongue.

"Great. An Italian man. The last time I met one, he had his mercenaries shoot down Sebastian, and he almost bloody killed me, too," Ciel muttered.

"Good morning, Mr. Auditore. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Sebastian said in perfectly fluent Italian.

"Finally; at least there's _**one**_ person in this place who can understand me!" Ezio excalimed with a little bit of enthusiasm in Italian. Darby and Lockaby simply stared at Sebastian, awestruck by what had just occurred between him and Ezio.

"How in the world...?" Darby uttered, which only made Sebastian chuckle a little and smile. "If I couldn't speak all forms and dialects of languages to interpret them for my Young Master, what kind of a butler would I be?" Sebastian stated with a wink.

"Grazie, Messer," said Ezio, to which Sebastian commented in Italian, "Please, you may call me Mr. Michaelis."

"What is he saying?" Ciel asked.

"He is grateful to me for being able to translate and understand what he is saying," the butler replied.

"Well, that's enough introductions for the day! What say we talk over breakfast?" Darby declared as he began to walk quickly to the dining hall, very impatient to discuss business with all who were to be gathered at the table. Lockaby followed in a leisurely, but tall manner.

"Come along, Mr. Auditore," Ciel commanded, which Sebastian repeated in Italian. Ezio followed them into the dining hall grand dining hall, a little relieved that someone can interpret for him in this somewhat foreign land.

*Excerpts from "The Fisherman and His Wife" will be used throughout this fanfic. It is solely for the purpose of enhancing the story; by no means did I alter it and make it my own. The Brothers Grimm own the tale, and All Rights are Reserved for them. There is a reason why I am using this particular fairy tale; just hold on tight and keep reading! ;)


	11. 10: The Earl, Suspecting

"So, you're Vincent Phantomhive's son?" Lockaby inquired of the boy. Ciel sighed. _Here we go again,_ he thought to himself as he replied with, "Indeed."

"I'm sorry about the loss," said Lockaby.

"That was years ago, and I wish to not dwell in my past so much," Ciel commented. _Silence_.

Ezio wondered why the Englishmen drank this strange dark liquid in tiny cups. He drank some of the liquid himself, gagged a bit, and set the teacup aside, coughing somewhat violently.

"What kind of nasty drink is this?!" Ezio muttered after coughing so much.

"Are you not fond of tea, Mr. Auditore?" Sebastian inquired.

"No," Ezio uttered with a few more coughs. "May I have some water, please?"

"Of course. I shall send for some water immediately," Sebastian replied.

"What is he saying, Sebastian?" Ciel asked as he calmly sipped his own tea.

"He wishes for a glass of water," answered Sebastian. Darby motioned to one of his servants and asked him to fetch Ezio some water.

"It is so nice that we have someone who can translate for us," Lockaby declared with a warm smile. "I speak a little Italian myself, but not enough to have a decent conversation with the man." He chuckled. Sebastian eyed Lockaby, knowing that his amiability was merely a façade; there was a gleam in the man's eye that told Sebastian that this older man could not act this friendly to someone he was close with, such as Darby. He only put on a show when there are people not familiar to him. _Hm, it's no wonder the rumors about him don't connect..._ Sebastian thought to himself.

"Enough idle chitchat," said the Earl. "I do not wish to stay for a long time in the country. I want to conclude my investigation of this case so I may return home. Tell me more about these 'Templars' who targeted Sir Walter and Lord Fitch."

Darby was surprised by Ciel's abrupt shift in the conversation. Lockaby was mildly amused by this. The older man had suddenly put on a serious expression. _So he reveals his true self now_ , Sebastian pondered.

"Earl Phantomhive, were you not listening to Darby when he explained all of this to you? He told you of the Templars' motives. They wanted the Apple of Eden for their plot to create a New World Order. Is that not enough motivation for them to kill off two of our Assassins?" Lockaby answered.

"Tell me more about the Apple of Eden," Ciel commanded. Lockaby's patience was being tried, and it showed in his eyes.

"Excuse me, Mr. Butler," Ezio said to Sebastian, "what are they discussing so intently?"

"They are talking about politics," Sebastian replied indifferently, to which Ezio interjected with a soft but tense tone, "I know when I am being lied to. Those men are discussing something involving the Templars." With that, Sebastian could sense the burning in the man's heart, the passion in his soul. It was a hatred against the Templar group, and even by mentioning the word, the fire deep inside danced with such passionate anger. It was the same reason why Sebastian made a contract with his master; vengeance made the soul taste _better_.

The butler smiled a little, then said, "Very well. I guess you are right. I was lying. They're discussing an ordeal with the Assassins and the Templars. The Templars supposedly murdered two Assassins who were trying to give information to these two here, Darby and Lockaby."

"So the other man is an Assassin as well?" Ezio inquired.

"Yes," Sebastian replied. This came as a relief to the young man in white robes. "Is the boy, Earl Phantomhive, an Assassin?"

"He prefers to remain neutral, because he does not know yet whose side he should join," Sebastian answered.

"Ah, va bene," Ezio remarked. _Hm, that's his choice..._ he thought to himself as he took the glass of water from the servant and drank it in only gulp.

Lockaby cleared his throat, then spoke. "The Apple of Eden is a mystical object created by some Divine beings that came before us. It is said to have properties that are least understood by man. I believe that it is one of many Pieces of Eden in this world, since there were records from others sources in history that discussed other items of similar properties. The one we are looking for is said to be able to control the minds and actions of others. The other abilities it holds, we do not know of, at least not yet."

"How do we know what it looks like? I doubt it is _actually_ in the shape of an apple," Ciel remarked.

"You are correct, indeed, Earl Phantomhive. It is more like a metal sphere, according to Altaïr in his Codex entries," Lockaby stated as he made a gesture of a cupped hand, as if he was holding the Apple of Eden himself. Ezio suddenly stopped eating when he heard this. Sebastian spotted this slight action of the mysterious Italian man.

 _They mentioned the Codex pages... And Altaïr... They must be talking about..._ Ezio pondered to himself. _I must be careful around these people, especially the boy. They may betray me..._ Ezio glanced up at Sebastian, who was staring at him for quite some time. He continued eating as if nothing happened.

"So, you are trying to find this 'Apple of Eden' so they won't fall into the hands of the Templars?" Ciel continued inquiring.

"Yes," Lockaby replied.

"... I don't know whether or not I should believe you," Ciel commented. "Your logic makes no sense to me. You would risk the temptation of using it for your own wants and desires by finding the Piece of Eden and playing keep-away as the Templars try to take it and build this 'New World Order' you two keep talking about."

"I know this makes little sense, but by obtaining the Piece of Eden, we would be doing what is best to prevent the existence of the New World Order," Darby answered, but was cut short by the Earl.

"And what will you do once you have it? Will you abuse the power of the Piece of Eden and create your own World, your own society of _perfection_?" Ciel argued. Darby was about to intervene, but the boy would not let him speak. "All I'm trying to say is that before you two go on about me 'joining the Assassins', I would like to earn your trust before I make my decision." The boy set his cloth napkin on the table and stood up. "Come, Sebastian," he said as he was about to walk out of the room.

"Will you betray our trust by notifying Lord Randall of your investigation here in Darbyshire," Lockaby inquired with a piercing voice. Ciel stopped moving towards the door. He stood there for quite some time. Lockaby stared at the boy, a determined look in his eyes, waiting for an answer. S _ilence_.

After a while, the Earl, without turning around, spoke again. "As the Queen's Guard Dog, I do not share confidential information from witnesses and suspects. I would not dare tell anyone from Scotland Yard of the actions I have taken to solve the cases I am given. You should know this, Baron Lockaby; surely you _must_ have known this from your connections, _both_ in London society and in the underworld." After a small pause, the Earl went on his way, but he was not going to have the last word before he left the room.

"I wish you luck on your investigation, Earl Phantomhive," Lockaby said finally. "I look forward to seeing you soon." Ciel and Sebastian left the room and shut the doors behind them.

"He's just like his father; doubting often, but clever," Lockaby muttered.

"I just hope he will become an Assassins like his father," Darby commented as he sips his tea.

"Mi scusi," Ezio commented as he stood up and left his breakfast. The Italian man walked out of the room and was about to look for Sebastian, when the butler closed the door behind the Assassin. Ezio halted.

"Leaving so soon?" Sebastian inquired. Ezio said nothing.

"Aren't you still eating breakfast?" Sebastian continued, walking closer to Ezio.

"I'm full," Ezio retorted as he walked out the front doors and into the open fields of Darbyshire's grounds.

Ciel had come into the foyer, looking for Sebastian. He heard Ezio say something in Italian, then approached the butler as the Italian man left.

"What were you two discussing?" Ciel asked.

"Nothing of importance," Sebastian replied.

"Hm. Anyway, my suitcase is ready. Let us get out of here; the country air is becoming less and less attractive as the hours go by," Ciel remarked.

"Of course, Young Master," answered Sebastian. The boy and the butler went back to their room and brought out their suitcases. They called for a carriage, which came as soon as they came outside. They climbed into the carriage and took off from Darbyshire to return to their home.


	12. 11: The Earl, Besieged

_**The Road to West Templeton**_

"Are you alright, Young Master?" Sebastian inquired _._ He was concerned; the boy had been so quiet throughout the ride back to West Templeton. They had already gone past the front gates of Darbyshire, and they were almost halfway through their journey to West Templeton Station. The butler would have thought that his Young Master would be elated that he would soon be returning home.

"Is it because of the train ride here?" Sebastian continued. Ciel sighed and looked away from his butler.

"That doesn't bother me," answered Ciel. "What bothers me is what Darby discussed about my father being a part of the Assassin Order. Could it be true? He was loyal to the Queen, as the Guard Dog... He never said anything about the Assassins..."

"We shall investigate that matter later. Right now, our biggest concern is finding the people involved in the murder of the two 'Assassins' and preventing them from killing anyone else." Sebastian had a reassuring smile as he reminded the Earl of his most important duty.

"... Yes, you're right, Sebastian," Ciel sighed. This did not put him at ease, and the butler frowned. _Hm, he did want to get revenge on the people who murdered his father..._ Sebastian began thinking. _Could this story be true, though...? Were Vincent and Rachel killed by Templars_? Sebastian was soon overcome with an overarching fear; what if all of this was, indeed, true?

 _ **BANG BANG!**_

 _ **Thud.**_

The horses squealed in fright. The coachman laid dead after getting shot and falling down, hitting the ground along the left side of the carriage. Shouting could be heard from outside the carriage.

"If you try to retaliate, Earl, we _will_ kill you!" a voice yelled at the top of his lungs. Sebastian peeked through the curtains of the windows. He could see a whole group of men surrounding the carriage.

"Here we go again..." Sebastian muttered under his breath.

"Now get out of the carriage! Your butler, too!" the voice yelled again. Sebastian unlocked the carriage door.

"What are you doing Sebastian?!" Ciel whispered harshly.

"Do not fret, Young Master. I _know_ what I'm doing," Sebastian answered with a wink. Ciel had an enraged look as if to say, _If this plan fails, and I get hurt, I'm going to kill you._ Sebastian only smiled as he opened the door and came out.

The men apprehended Sebastian and Ciel, then tied their wrists and ankles together with rope. The men tossed the two of them on the side of the road. They landed on the ground with a painful thud.

Soon, a mysterious man with a dark cape and hood came up to Ciel. "Well, look who we have here," the man said with a teasing grin. His men surrounded the three of them so that there was no chance of escape.

"Who are you, and what do you want from me?!" shouted the boy. He glared at the hooded man, which only caused the man to smile even more.

"I see you have been associating yourself with the Assassins," the man replied.

"Wait... You must be the one who ordered Sir Walter _dead_. You had your men kill him off, and Lord Fitch as well!"

"Excellent work, Guard Dog. You really _are_ a bright young lad."

"Enough of your games; are you a Templar?!"

"I'll tell you if you tell me whether or not you're an Assassin," the man replied. Ciel had nothing to say. _If I say yes, I'll be killed. If I say no, they will say that I am and kill me anyways_...

"Why do you want to know? Why do you think I'm an Assassin?" Ciel answered back with a soft intensity.

"It's not my prerogative to answer your question," the man commented. "Answer mine or else I'll have you _skewered_ to my _sword_."

"I would like to see you try," Ciel taunted the mysterious hooded man. The man's smile turned into a frown as he slapped the Earl across his right cheek and kicked the boy in his ribcage. Ciel coughed, having the wind knocked out of him by the blow.

"Hm, now that I think about it, I'd rather not," the man said. "Instead, I'll have your butler killed off. Then we'll see who will survive in this silly little game." He gestured to his men to begin stabbing the butler. The men had soon come upon Sebastian. They held up their stiletto knives and daggers, ready to cut up their prey into mincemeat. Sebastian merely looked indifferent about the situation.

On the other hand, Ciel had a panicked expression on his face. He knew his butler may survive, but how far could Sebastian take the pain and the stabbing? Questions like these raced through Ciel's mind. _What's going to happen to me?! What will I do without Sebastian?!_

Suddenly, a throwing knife cut through the air and lodged itself into the back of a man's head. The man's eyes went into a blank stare as blood spurted out from the back of his head like a broken fountain. He fell to the ground. Two more throwing knives made their way into the other mens' heads, and both tosses were successful in delivering those two souls to their Maker.

The other men panicked. The mysterious leader was annoyed by this interference. "Well, don't just stand there!" the leader exclaimed. "Find whoever threw those knives and kill him!" Some of the men stayed behind to take care of Sebastian and Ciel, while the others went to look for the person who killed their comrades.

The assailant jumped from one of the tall trees and conducted an aerial assassination. As he landed on the person he targeted with one of his hidden blades, he stabbed the target in the neck, cutting off connection from the brain to the spinal cord. The blood that pooled out of the man's neck stained the Assassin's white robes, but that did not stop him from killing off the others as well.

"It's Ezio," Ciel muttered to himself as he struggled to break loose from the rope. As he attempted to free himself, Ciel watched Ezio, with fluidity in his movements, disarm one of the men and use his stiletto knife against him. Another man tried to attack Ezio from behind, but the young Assassin was quicker that the attacker. He turned around swiftly and horizontally slashed the man. The man's throat was slashed, and dark, scarlet liquid began to gush out of the man's neck. He tried to cover it with his hands, but it was of no use. He fell to the ground and died.

The men who were about to take care of Sebastian were watching Ezio fight instead. They were so distracted by this, so stunned by the disgustingly brutal display before them. Sebastian freed himself from the ropes and smashed the heads of two of the men together. Their heads started bleeding profusely, and they fell as their comrades has fallen. Sebastian then pulled back the arm of another man and twisted it. _Crack!_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the man screamed as he tried to pull away from Sebastian. When he did, his arm hurt even more, causing the man to cry out a blood-curdling shriek.

Meanwhile, Ciel struggled to untie himself from the rope. His ribcage hurt terribly, and any slight movement would make it hurt even more. One of the men was approaching Ciel with a dagger. The boy saw this, his eyes growing wide. _I cannot die! Not yet!_

 _Shhhhk!_ The hidden blade Ciel had under his coat sleeve was triggered when he flicked his wrist slightly. The blade cut through the rope around his wrists. Quickly, the boy set to work, cutting the rope around his ankles. The man was moving closer and closer. Ciel could hear his heart beating loudly inside of him as he cut through the rope to free himself. The man was now less than five feet away. Sebastian and Ezio had been busy with the other men trying to kill them; they couldn't possibly have had the time to get to Ciel without risking their own lives for the task. Four feet... He vigorously cut at the rope in a most uncomfortable position. Three feet... Ciel finished cutting through the rope. Two feet... The boy stood up quickly. One foot... The man raised his dagger into the air...

 _Gasp_.

The man stopped. He dropped his dagger, which landed in the grass with a light thud. He looked at the young boy before him, then down at his body. The boy's blade pierced him in the right side of his abdomen. Blood spurted out and splattered the Earl's face with rich, dark scarlet. The man, in the last moments of his life, could feel the blood coming out of his mouth as well.

Finally, the boy took the hidden blade out of the man's body. The man coughed a little, then fell to the ground, facing downwards. Scarlet stained the bright green grass along the side of the road. The battlefield was left in solemn quietude. The survivors simply stood there, surrounded by the many corpses of the fallen.

"... Requiescat in Pace," Ezio solemnly uttered. He took off his hood as he said this. Sebastian looked around for the mysterious, dark-hooded man, but he was nowhere to be seen. Ciel simply stood there, breathing unevenly, eyes widened. He had just realized what he did, and he could not stand it. He could not even look at the mass of dead bodies before him anymore, especially after killing someone with his own bare hands for the first time, and watching the man die right before his eyes. He went to the side of the road where he would not be able to see the bodies of the dead Templars; he fell to his hands and knees and vomited.

"Is he okay?" Ezio inquired, concerned for Ciel, especially with the panic apparent in his eyes.

"He should be alright; he just needs some rest..." Sebastian replied.

"So, were these men Templars?"

"Indeed, and their leader got away. He must have sneaked out of here while we were busy fending off his men."

"Hm. We must find him then," Ezio concluded. He was about to go off to look for the leader, when Sebastian stopped him by placing a hand on the Italian's shoulder.

"Wait. Why did _you_ follow us in the first place?" asked Sebastian.

Ezio pondered this for a moment, then said, "I wanted to trust Mr. Darby and Mr. Lockaby, and I would have liked for them to teach me the ways of this country, but they cannot understand me, and I cannot understand them. You are the only one here who is fluent in both my language and yours, so that is why I wanted to come with you two. If you would be able to teach me how to speak like you and blend in with this environment, I will return the favor by becoming a valuable asset to the two of you."

"What need will we have of you? We already have house servants, and we are doing fairly well on our own as far as defending ourselves is concerned," Sebastian commented.

"I will prove my value to you after you help me. Please, I will show you two just how important I am in stopping the Templars from retrieving the Apple of Eden." Ezio had a very serious look on his face; he meant business.

Sebastian looked at the young man with suspicion, wondering what he is trying to say about his 'usefulness', then sensed something in Ezio. It wasn't the vengeance aspect of his soul, because Sebastian had already become familiar with that scent. No, it was a strange, powerful force that could not be explained. Did this ordinary-looking man have powers? Did he have some sort of strange force that gave him an aura of mystical aptitude?

"... What the bloody hell are you two discussing over there...?" Ciel demanded softly but irritably, sounding like he was ready to vomit a second time.

Sebastian looked over to his Young Master and answered with a soft smile, saying, "We were discussing Mr. Auditore's new position at the Phantomhive Manor as Stable Master."


	13. 12: The Assassin, Working for the Earl

_**Phantomhive Estate**_

For some two weeks, there had been a lull in the investigation. Prior to that, a tall man in a white suit with a lavender vest underneath the suit coat knocked on the door of the Phantomhive Manor. Sebastian had been busy scolding Mei-Rin, Bard, and Finny regarding the disaster they made in their respective stations, so Ezio, dressed in gentleman's clothing, took the liberty of answering the door.

"Oh! Excuse my surprised expression, but I was under the impression that the Head Butler of the Estate would answer the door," the man said.

"Mi scusi, but he is busy," Ezio commented in the best English he could attempt. His Italian accent was thick, and there was no helping that, really. The other man nodded in understanding.

"Well, I guess I shall have to come back later, then. Excuse me," the white-suited man said as he was about to leave.

"Wait," Ezio called out. The man stopped and turned around to face Ezio.

"Yes?" said the tall man.

"You come in and wait for Messer Michaelis to take you to Earl Phantomhive," Ezio said as he opened the door for the man to come in. The man chuckled at seeing Ezio try so hard to speak English correctly with decent pronunciation.

"Very well," the man said as he entered the manor. Ezio shut the door behind the man and led him to the drawing room.

"Thank you, Mister..." the man began.

"Auditore. Ezio Auditore."

"Ah, well, Mr. Auditore. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the man replied as he sat down on the left side of the couch in the drawing room. Ezio almost sat down, but he remembered that he could not do that anymore now that he is a servant, especially in front of a nobleman, or officer, whoever the man was.

"What is your name?" Ezio asked. The man was astonished by the Italian's informal speech. _What could have caused the Earl to allow such a man to address me this way? I know he is accustomed to his own language and has not learned much English, but this is a little absurd._

"Well, I am called Ash Landers. I have come to give the Earl a message from the Queen," the man replied. "Say, Mr. Auditore, since we are both servants to our masters, in a sense, we could strike up a little bit of conversation."

"Va bene."

"So, Mr. Auditore, it sounds like you come from Italy. What part of Italy did you come from, may I ask?"

"Firenze. In English, it's-"

"Florence, yes, I understand that. Well, Mr. Auditore, I do not wish to pry too much into your life, but I am curious about why you came here and how you managed to become a servant to the Earl of Phantomhive."

"I came here to learn," Ezio replied.

"Ah, so you wish to 'learn'? Learn what, may I ask?"

"Culture."

"Hm. I see. And what about getting hired by the Earl?"

"I was lost, and he found me. He gave me this job," Ezio said in the best English he could muster up.

"... Alright. I understand you can't speak a good bit of English yet. You understand what I am saying, though, yes?"

"Si, Messer Landers," Ezio replied.

Just as Ash was about to ask another question, Sebastian came into the drawing room. He did not look pleased at the sight, most especially because Ezio had not left the room after taking the guest into it.

"Excuse me for being late. I had to take care of a few things in the manor," Sebastian said in all politeness. Ash nodded in understanding and stood up.

"Well, your absence is pardoned. I was just talking to your new servant friend, here, the Italian named Mr. Auditore," Ash replied with a smile. Sebastian's expression was still serious.

"So you've met our new servant then?"

"Yes, and he came all the way from Italy to learn about the culture here. How kind of Earl Phantomhive to take the Italian man under his wing to expose him to this culture," Ash said with excessive eloquence. It was obvious in the tone he used that he was already suspicious of all that was occurring in the Phantomhive Manor. It displeased Sebastian greatly, but the butler put on a smile of civility, despite how _irksome_ it was to do so for this "guest".

"What is your business here in the Phantomhive Estate, Mr. Landers?" Sebastian inquired with as much civility as he could find in himself.

"I merely wish to deliver a letter to the Earl from Her Majesty," Ash replied as he pulled out a letter from his suit. Sebastian took the letter from Ash.

"I shall have it delivered to the Young Master immediately," Sebastian replied.

"A thousand pardons for disturbing your business, Mr. Michaelis. I do wish I could have stayed for tea," Ash apologized with not a hint of guilt in his voice. In all reality, he could care less for the butler, and Sebastian likewise towards Ash.

"Well, the next time you visit, and you wish to stay for tea, I shall serve a _delectable_ devil's food cake with _rich, dark_ chocolate for you." Sebastian had on a devilish grin, but Ash was not feigned by this.

"The temptation is _irresistible_ , but I must insist on bringing _angel_ food cake to tea the next time I come over," Ash said as he left the room and out of the manor. He climbed into the coach that was waiting outside for him, and he rode away back to London. Sebastian scoffed after Ash left.

"Oh, he's _quite_ the angel, isn't he?" Sebastian muttered under his breath. Before he left the room, he looked to Ezio with slight contempt.

"I will deal with you later," he stated darkly as he left the room to deliver the letter to Ciel.

Ezio had witnessed all that occurred before him and laid suspicious eyes on Mr. Ash Landers while he was here. He pondered about that man's disarming smile, his appearance of all civility and charm. The man may be well-groomed and amiable, but he was certainly not to be trusted, especially after the exchange he had with Sebastian before he left.

Ezio continued to ponder about the matter, especially about Sebastian, as he went out into the stables to continue his work, grooming the horses. He was no horse tamer, but he did as Sebastian instructed him to do as far as his daily chores in the stables were concerned. _How did Sebastian know so much about horses? In fact, how does he know so much of_ _ **everything**_ _? He speaks Italian, amongst other languages, he knows his way around the kitchen, he is especially quick when it comes to cleaning the entirety of the Phantomhive Manor, and he is an exceptional gardener. No ordinary butler could pull off all of that and still have enough energy to see to his master's orders_ , Ezio thought to himself as he fed Earl Phantomhive's horses. _I will have to keep an eye on the butler... If he knows from_ _ **when**_ _I came from, he will come looking for..._

Ezio stopped himself, for fear of Sebastian having the ability to read minds amongst the many talents he already possesses. The Assassin continued to work on the chores at the stables for the rest of the day.

For three and a half weeks the Assassin had been working with for Earl Phantomhive. One morning, Ezio went to take a break in the garden after his daily chores. He had been sitting under the shade of a tree as Finny was busy trimming the other trees aligned in the garden. Finny seemed like a nice fellow, despite his unusually great strength for a person as lanky as himself. After gardener trimmed up the trees, he decided to take a break as well in order to get to know the new servant a bit more.

"Hello there!" Finny greeted Ezio. The Italian man looked up at Finny and replied with, "Buongiorno."

"Huh?"

"Ah, mi scusi, that means, 'good morning' in Italian," Ezio stated. He was learning quickly when it came to the English language, though he still spoke with a thick Italian accent. With Sebastian's tutoring, the Assassin had learned a great deal of English to be able to converse with someone like an average English gentleman. Occasionally, Ezio would get into the habit of saying a few Italian words and phrases; he did not want to forget the language he grew up with, after all.

"Oh, ok! Well, good morning!" Finny said awkwardly as he sat down beside Ezio under the tree. Ezio stared up into the sky, and Finny hugged his knees and looked up at the birds in the trees. Silence encompassed the garden except for the birdsong and the whistling wind.

"So," Finny said to break up the awkward silence, "are you _really_ from Italy?"

"Yes," Ezio replied. "I am from Firenze."

"What's 'Firenze'?"

"It is 'Florence' in Italian."

"Oh. Is it a beautiful place, Mr. Auditore?"

"It is a beautiful city. I grew up there as one of three sons of a Florentine banker. My family was wealthy, and we were one of many patrons of the arts there."

"Oh, wow! Your father is a banker?"

"Was..." Ezio had a solemn expression on his face. It brought up dark memories of an execution that should not have taken place.

"Is your father dead...?" Finny asked.

"... Yes. Him and my two brothers, Federico and Petruccio..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I-I don't mean to pry or anything, but what happened to them? Did they die of an illness of sorts?"

"... They were put to death for crimes they did not commit..." Ezio spoke plainly. "... I had to remove my mother and my sister from Firenze before the _conspiratori_ got to them..."

"... Are they safe now, Mr. Auditore?"

"Yes. For now. I don't know what is going on now, since I... came here to this country. And please, call me Ezio."

"Well, that's good Mister- I mean, Ezio! Say, are there meadows in Italy? With birds and bunnies and all kinds of animals?"

"I'm not sure about 'bunnies', but there are certainly some beautiful fields and vineyards in Tuscana."

"Huh?"

"In Tuscany, another part of Italy."

"Oh, how wonderful! I can just see it now! I'm running through the rolling fields of Italy with birds singing and the wind whistling! I'll be dancing in the fields without a care in the world!" Finny sprang up and started to dance and spin around, imagining himself in Tuscany. Ezio chuckled at the way the gardener spun around in circles and danced around the tree.

Sebastian walked into the garden and spotted Finny and Ezio off-duty. He did not like it when the servants were being unproductive, but, at the same time, he did not like it when they were working, because he would always have to clean up after them and correct their mistakes. When he watched Finny dancing around the field and almost falling over from all the spinning he was doing, he had rather mixed feelings of whether or not he should be upset or alright with this behavior.

"Finnian, Ezio, whatever are you two doing?" Sebastian inquired, not looking the least bit content.

"Mr. Sebastian! I-I was just taking a break with E-Ezio here, and I-" began poor Finny, but the butler did now wish to hear excuses.

"If you would get back to trimming the trees and the hedges, I would really appreciate it," commanded Sebastian.

"Yes, sir!" Finny said with a salute and went right to work trimming up the hedges.

"Ezio, follow me." Sebastian went on into the manor, and Ezio followed. The butler led the Assassin into the drawing room. Sebastian shut the door behind Ezio, then walked up to the young man.

"Did I do something wrong, Messer Michaelis?" Ezio inquired curiously, with a hint of suspicion in his tone.

"No, and I think you can address me as Sebastian from now on," Sebastian replied. "You've learned much in these past few weeks, and already you've understood and applied into yourself a great deal of our culture. Now, your promise..."

"... I did say I'd prove my value to you and your master one day," Ezio replied.

"I sense that you don't really trust us enough, at least not yet. It is likewise for Earl Phantomhive and me, because of your _mysterious_ background. We know, without a doubt, that you are from Italy, yet you have a tendency to speak some... Latin words."

"Mi scusi?"

"... After the Young Master killed one of the thugs approaching him, you said, 'Requiescat in pace'. Any Italian would have said 'riposi in pace' to say 'rest in peace' nowadays, but you used, and continue to use, on occasion, a combination of Italian _and_ Latin when speaking... Only people from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance would use language that still incorporated some of these ancient terms for everyday use... Which brings me to the conclusion that you are not from this century, are you?"

Ezio was not pleased that Sebastian had figured this out. The butler smiled as the Assassin frowned. He could not let Sebastian know of the Apple of Eden. He did not trust any of them with this kind of power, especially the master of this estate.

"... What do you want?" Ezio demanded with a dark tone in his voice.

"I merely wish to know how you managed to come from the Italian Renaissance to this era," Sebastian replied.

"... I cannot tell you that."

"Come now, I exposed you already. You are quite the open book, really, coming here in that strange Renaissance garb. And I am certain that Carnivale was finished over a few months ago, so your costume seems rather out-of-place here at this time. You will tell me how you got here _eventually_ , and why."

"... I cannot answer the first question yet. If I do, there is risk that the Templars may be watching and listening. If they find out, they may use this information against all of us and send legions of Templars from the past and the future to take down the Assassins. Earl Phatomhive may be included as well since he has just exposed himself to the Templars as being related to the Assassins, whether he admits this to the public or not. As for the second question, I do not know why I was placed in this time period. There is probably something that I must do here, which is why I sought to learn about the culture and the language here. By doing all I can now to blend in here, I may be one step closer to realizing why I was put in this time and location."

"So you did not come here of your own accord?"

"No. It is hard to explain unless-"

"Unless you tell me about how you came here, which you are unwilling to volunteer that information."

"... Si, Sebastian." Ezio did not like where this conversation went. Sebastian was not satisfied with these answers, which showed in his eyes.

"I am sorry, but maybe if Earl Phantomhive and the rest of the servants here at the Phantomhive Estate were to become a part of the Assassin Brotherhood, I'd be willing to share all that I know with you..." Ezio apologized.

"Very well," Sebastian simply said. "... You may get back to your chores, Ezio." The butler left the Assassin to his own thoughts.

 _How can I trust them enough to tell them...?_ was all that was in Ezio's head as he went out into the stables to give the horses their baths.

 _ **Salisbury Plain, England**_

 _ **"**_ Are you sure this is the place?" Lockaby asked his former apprentice as they spotted Stonehenge.

"Yes," Darby replied. "This was one possibly location, though, so Lord Fitch could have been wrong in his assumptions."

"Lord Fitch invested too much time into the research to be wrong. He and Sir Walter... And now both of them are dead, so we can't ask them a bloody thing about the map or the Codex pages!" Lockaby declared frustratedly. Darby kept quiet, trying to think of where the Apple of Eden could be now.

"... Master Lockaby."

"Yes?"

"Where _exactly_ did you meet Mr. Auditore?"

"I saw him arriving in West Templeton, looking like a lost sheep."

"What direction did he come from...?"

"He came from the Northeast, I believe."

"And what direction did we have to travel by horse to get here...?"

Lockaby thought for a moment. His eyes suddenly widened when the answer dawned on him, a realization that Darby had also concluded as he asked his mentor all of these seemingly pointless questions. The two of them ran to their horses, mounted them, and rode as quickly as possible to West Templeton Station to catch the next train to London.


	14. 13: The Earl, Apprehended

_**Master's Office, Phantomhive Estate**_

"My dear little boy,

I regret to inform you that your investigation must end. Lord Randall found the murderers of Sir Walter, and they shall be put to trial soon. As far as the investigation of Lord Fitch is concerned, you need not worry about it anymore; Lord Randall solved that case as well. Now, I heard that you had delayed your private studies to solve the case I gave you, and I'm sorry that this took up so much of your time. Please be careful out there, especially with the string of murders these past few weeks. I hope this letter reaches you safely, and I wish you peace and comfort until I call for you again. Yours, etc."

This letter sat on Ciel's desk for the past two and a half weeks. The news bothered the Earl exceedingly. He paced back and forth behind his desk. Newspapers were spread out on the desk, open to articles of the "string of murders" the Queen had mentioned. For each murder that had occurred as of late, Lord Randall would solve them within two or three days. He was declared a hero in the newspapers, but the Guard Dog knew better. The man could not solve _any_ case within less than a week, so this consistency of solved cases was rather odd.

"He could not have found _all_ of the conspirators," Ciel muttered under his breath as he continued pacing. "If anything, I'll find the real culprits, these 'Templars' who keep murdering all of these noblemen." He sat down in his chair and pondered. He thought long and hard; he was planning to go about conducting his own investigation without the interference of Scotland Yard and, especially, Lord Randall.

He took out a blank sheet of paper and began writing. He wrote down ideas of his plans, then scrapped them and tossed the papers aside. He went at it until he found the page with Sebastian's drawing of the Alpha and Omega creating the Assassin insignia. He set that aside and saw the insignia itself on another piece of paper. Sebastian drew that as well, he remembered. Then, he recalled the words of Darby concerning his father. _... Your father was part of the Assassin Order, Earl Phantomhive..._ These chilling words continued to echo in the boy's mind.

"But how...?" he asked himself as he stared at the Assassin insignia. This gave him a headache, and goosebumps, just thinking about it. He leaned his head against the palms of his hands after he rested his elbows on his desk. As he tried not to think about his past, Ciel stopped to notice a shadow looming over him from behind his chair.

"Hey-" the boy yelled, but the silhouette figure covered the boy's face with a handkerchief. He struggled and thrashed about, his hidden blade cutting into the figure's right cheek, then fell unconscious.

As Ciel cut into the man's cheek, he tried to hold back his scream from the excruciating pain. When the boy fell unconscious, the figure tore a piece of his own coat and tied it around his face to stop the bleeding. With his bloodied hands, he tore off the boy's hidden blade, then dragged the Earl out of the room, out of the manor, and away to a hidden place.

"Messer Phantomhive," Ezio called into the office. No reply. "Messer Phantomhive, Signorina Middleford is coming over, and she wants to learn how to ride the horses with you. I've prepared your horse for the day... Messer Phantomhive?" Ezio grew suspicious. He knew that by this time, the Earl would have replied or groaned or reacted in some way. The Assassin simply could not pass this off as the boy being "busy". He tried opening the door, but it was locked.

Sebastian was passing by to polish the silverware in the kitchen when he noticed Ezio by the door of the Master's office. He halted and spoke, saying, "Is something wrong, Ezio?"

"I was notifying Earl Phantomhive about the horses for Signorina Middleford. He's not answering."

"Well, did you try the door?"

"It's locked up," said Ezio as he twisted the handle vigorously. Still, it wouldn't budge.

"Hm. Let me see if I have a key-" Sebastian thought aloud as he was about to take out a key from his coat pocket. Ezio began kicking at the door.

"Please, Mr. Auditore, I don't think we should-" Sebastian began, but Ezio already broke down the door and stormed into the office. Sebastian had a very displeased expression on his face.

"Or you may proceed to break the house down," Sebastian muttered under his breath as he entered the office. Ezio already began investigating after noticing the blood stained newspapers on the master's desk. He went around the desk and found a hidden blade device on the floor, blood still present on the blade itself.

"That's the master's hidden blade," Sebastian remarked. Ezio looked at the butler with a very serious and solemn expression. Suddenly, Ezio examined the floor, then looked out the door.

"There's a trail of blood..." Ezio stated as he began following it.

"I see only a few drops of blood on the carpet here," Sebastian commented.

"This way!" said Ezio as he ran off, following some seemingly invisible trail. The butler followed, wondering how Ezio could see this.

The trail led out to the front of the manor, then beyond the Phantomhive Estate.

"We must keep going," Ezio stated as he was about to move on.

"Wait," Sebastian interrupted. "How do I know you're not leading me into a trap?" There was a slight hesitation on Ezio's part.

"You just have to trust me," the Assassin said at last. "Wait here; I need to get a few things." Ezio ran to the stables, picked up all of his weapons, then came running back to Sebastian.

"No."

"Sebastian-"

"You are _not_ bringing all of those weapons around, especially because you will look very conspicuous openly carrying a crossbow, a bunch of throwing knives, and your sword!" answered Sebastian with incredulity in his tone, hardly believing that the man could just walk around like that in public.

"Well, what do you want me to do, Messer Butler?"

"At least bring your 'hidden blade' devices, and hide your throwing knives under your coat, but don't you _dare_ carry around your other weapons; you will embarrass yourself!"

"Fine," Ezio groaned. He put back his other weapons but kept his hidden blades and his throwing knives, then ran back and off on the trail to find Ciel's kidnapper. He and Sebastian left the Estate grounds, continuing on the trail until they halted outside the woods surrounding the Phantomhive Estate.

"Dirt tracks from a carriage... It must have been waiting for the kidnapper outside the woods, then left when the man got in..." Ezio muttered as he inspected the indentations in the road that indicated the escaping of some form of transportation.

"At least the trail is easier to follow," Sebastian commented. Ezio nodded and ran with Sebastian, following the carriage and hoof tracks on the road.

"How long of a journey is it to the Phantomhive Estate, Master Lockaby?" Darby inquired of his mentor as they rode a carriage out of London.

"It should not take very long. I heard that the Phantomhive Estate is but a stone's throw away from the city, just like the original Phantomhive Estate..." Lockaby stated with a sigh as he reminisced about the old days when he used to work with the former Earl of Phantomhive. He dreaded the idea of the boy hearing the full story of what has transpired with his father and the Guard Dog team, leading to the demise of everyone except Lockaby himself, who, out of default, became Master Assassin of the Assassin Brotherhood in all of England. He was not proud of the title, especially because Vincent was more worthy of it than him, but he took on the responsibilities of Master Assassin nonetheless.

As the two of them were riding to the woods leading into the Phantomhive Estate, Darby looked out the window and spotted two figures running out of the woods.

"Master Lockaby! Look!" Darby excitedly exclaimed. The mentor looked out and saw a butler and another tall gentleman with a short ponytail.

"Could it be...?" Lockaby uttered.

"Why, it's Mr. Michaelis and Mr. Auditore!" Darby declared as he looked carefully to see the two figures running off.

"Stop the carriage I dare say!" Lockaby shouted as he tapped the roof of the carriage with his walking stick. The coachman halted the carriage, and the two of them stepped out as soon as Sebastian and Ezio were about to pass by.

"Wait, Mr. Michaelis! Mr. Auditore!" Darby called out to them. The butler and Assassin stopped and turned to face Darby and Lockaby.

"Mr. Darby. Baron Lockaby. Please excuse us, but we are in an emergency here," Sebastian replied and was about to run off.

"What sort of trouble is this?" Lockaby inquired.

"The Earl was kidnapped," answered Ezio, to Sebastian's dismay.

"I was hoping to keep it a secret..." Sebastian muttered.

"How do you know this?" Darby asked.

"We followed a trail here," said Ezio.

"A blood trail which only Ezio was able to see," Sebastian added.

"Oh! Is this Altaïr's Eagle Vision he just utilized?!" Darby excitedly commented. The other three gave the gentleman a rather strange look.

"... How do you know about the Eagle Vision?" Ezio asked.

"It was in the Codex! Altaïr's Codex pages!" Darby declared.

"What exactly is this 'Eagle Vision'? Was this how you saw the faint blood trail you kept talking about?" Sebastian inquired.

Ignoring Sebastian's question, Ezio asked Darby, "You have Altaïr's Codex pages translated?"

"From Arabic to Italian to English! We have all but the pages about the-" Darby replied, but Lockaby cut them all off.

"Good heavens! The Earl of Phantomhive has been kidnapped, probably by Templars, and the only things you _boys_ are thinking about are Codex pages and Eagle Vision?! _**Prioritize**_ , people!" Lockaby shouted with great passion.

"Sorry, Master Lockaby. You're right. We must find Earl Phantomhive before we can discuss this further. Now, where does the trail lead?" Darby commented.

"It looks like it leads back to London," Ezio replied.

"To London, then," Lockaby declared as he paid the coachman to send the luggage to the Phantomhive Estate.

"We're not using the carriage?" Darby questioned.

" _Child_ , we're not even a fifth of a kilometer away from London!" Lockaby retorted as he started running back to London. Darby, a little embarassed, and surprised that the old man can still run, followed after his mentor. Ezio and Sebastian ran off with the two other Assassin noblemen as they continued to track down Ciel's whereabouts.


	15. 14: The Earl, Distraught

_**?**_

Ciel awoke, finding himself tied to a chair and gagged. His chair was put under a blinding spotlight, and the boy could not tell where he was because of this. He tried squinting to see past the light and into the darkness, but to no avail.

"So, you're awake at last, Earl Phantomhive? Or shall I say, traitorous _fiend_ of an Assassin?" said the voice of a stranger with utter contempt.

 _It's him..._ Ciel thought as he heard the man speak. _It's the man who caught me on the road to West Templeton Station!_

"Remove the gag on the boy," said the man. Two burly men obeyed and removed the gag. Ciel coughed and spat out to the side.

"I am not an Assassin. I stand on neutral ground!" Ciel spat out bitterly.

The man chuckled a little. He did not seem to believe the boy's words. "How is it you can say that when you were seen taking a letter from the body of an Assassin messenger and delivering it to a man in Darbyshire?"

"That is confidential information; the man was merely a possible witness to the Sir Walter case, which Lord Randall has _obviously_ taken care of," the boy retorted irritably.

"You know that letter contained a map of the location of the Piece of Eden. _Where is that map?_ " the man demanded.

"And why would this be of interest to you, to know my business and to question every move I make? Chess is supposed to be a silent game, or do you Templars think you can _narrate_ my actions like the superior beings you _think_ you are?" Ciel remarked. The mysterious man slapped the boy across his face.

"Enough of your snide remarks, boy. Tell me where that map is, or I will see to it that you will be _permanently_ removed from your position as the Queen's Guard Dog and the Earl of Phantomhive."

"That information is confidential. Even though Lord Randall 'found' the murderers, the case has not _officially_ been closed in my books. Therefore, I can withhold information from you _as I see fit_." The mysterious man growled, hardly amused at this boy's stubborn disposition.

"Tch. Just like your father right before he died..." the man muttered.

"I beg your pardon?" spoke Ciel softly, but intensely. Then, he bellowed with restrained anger in his voice, "If you have something to say about my father, you had better say it to my face! Unless you're too much of a coward to face me!"

"I AM NO COWARD!" the man yelled as he turned to face Ciel. "Yes, that's right, you're just as stubborn as your father was before I killed him and your mother in that fire! In fact, I can give you a whole history of your father's doings as an Assassin, always meddling with our plans to create a better world of peace, harmony, and order! Indeed, he discovered the Assassins accidentally as he was working on a case that involved the criminal underworld. He was a very young man, and he was _always_ questioning the law and all the workings of the government in this country. He allowed those Assassins to persuade him into joining them. He knew the consequences of his decision, but he went through with it anyways...

"He was a clever man, that Vincent Phantomhive. He and his team would always prevent us from finding that Piece of Eden or any clue of its whereabouts. He was ruthless; he was merciless. Nobody stood a chance against him, until he fell in love.

"Yes, that's right. He fell in love with a _Templar_ ; Miss Rachel Durless. None of the members of the Durless family knew that he was an Assassin because he hid his identity so well. Rachel was the weakest-willed of the Durless family; she did not uphold the Templar ideals as her parents and sister have done. She let herself get carried away in her love for that bloody Assassin fool. Vincent _also_ loved her with a passion, but knowing that she belonged to a Templar family, he did not reveal to her his secret until after the marriage. When he did tell her, she was perfectly alright with it, which made him love her even more. When they had you, Vincent was determined to keep you out of trouble. Unfortunately, that didn't work out very well for him in the end.

"So you burned the two of them alive by setting the manor on fire?" Ciel growled under gritted teeth.

"Well, let's just say that I sort of... _killed_ them before I burned the manor down."

"What kind of a _madman_ are you?!"

" _Madder than you can believe_. Indeed, I burned down the manor, believing that all evidence would be erased in an "accidental fire", but then here comes a young boy, awake in the middle of the night, trying to find his parents."

"Enough..."

"He looked very much afraid. He ran, trying to look for a way to escape, but he could not breathe in that senseless heat."

"I said enough...!"

"He was desperate for escape, but he could not remain conscious. So some mysterious men grabbed him that night while he was still unharmed from the flames, and they beat him and tortured him!"

"Enough already!"

"After the boy lost sense of himself, he was taken and put under the light of the moon, and the mysterious men _branded_ him with the Mark of the New World Order, because he shall be the pioneer of it! He will bring about the new society, and he will impose peace and tranquility unto all beings through the power of the Piece of Eden!"

" **I SAID ENOUGH!** " screamed the Earl. This only made the dark-hooded man smile.

"Unable to handle the truth, I see?" continued the man. "Let's see just how much more you can bear-"

"Master Templar, or should I say... _Mr. Ash Landers_ ," announced a familiar, Italian-accented voice.

"... E-Ezio?" Ciel weakly uttered.

Sebastian pulled down the man's hood, revealing a man with white hair, purple eyes, and a sly grin. His cheek was stitched up from the Earl stabbing his hidden blade into it.

"So the cavalry has arrived?" Ash chuckled.

"Enough of your games, Mr. Landers, or I might have to kill you," Sebastian commented with a revolver pointed at Ash's head, cocked and ready to fire. Ezio cut the ropes that bound Ciel to the chair. After Ciel was released, he fell to the ground, too weak to get up.

"So you're the Master Templar!" Darby exclaimed with an accusatory finger pointed at Ash. The man merely chuckled at this.

"I could be... I'm only a servant to the Queen."

"Servant or not, the Queen shall know of your doings, killing the Phantomhives and murdering innocent noblemen," Sebastian remarked.

" 'Innocent'? You know as well as I do that they've killed other men, too."

"Not as many as you have in a lifetime."

"Spare me your lashings, Sebastian. I am only an angel at heart-"

"A _Fallen_ Angel, more like it, for who would want to take you back into Heaven?" Sebastian jeered. Ash scowled.

"You mistake my motives, Mr. Michaelis. I merely wish to help in _purifying_ the world of its ills."

"Then we should start by getting rid of _you_ ," Sebastian concluded, knives and forks in hand. Ash smiled, then laughed heartily. Suddenly, he unfurled his wings, knocking Sebastian back, then unsheathed his sword and flew towards Ezio.

Ezio barely dodged as Ash swung his rapier at him. The Angel barely cut the Assassin's right arm. The cut did not faze Ezio as he pulled out his throwing knives and threw them at Ash. Only one of the knives hit the Angel; he could not fly now that his left wing was hit.

Darby and Lockaby had been busy with the other Templars in the room. The regular sized men were easy to take down. Darby was quick and agile in his movements; he pulled many feints on the other Templars, then boxed their ears and went in for the kill. Lockaby had immense strength despite how slow he was compared to the younger gentleman; he grabbed one of the Templar men by his hair and smashed his skull against a doorknob. The Templar's head bled profusely, and he fell to the ground as Lockaby moved on to the other Templars.

When the two burly men came to fight them, Darby and Lockaby were a little overwhelmed. They sought Sebastian's help, but the butler was more concerned about Ash than the other men.

"You remember our seventeenth lesson, Nicky?" Lockaby remarked.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall?" Darby recalled.

"Exactly," Lockaby replied with a wink. Darby understood the plan. The two of them ran in opposite directions, circling around the two men, confusing them a little. These men were not stupid, so they attempted to time their moves when the two Englishmen met at a certain point. The smaller men were smarter though, and they pulled a feint on the taller men, then brought the two of them down after stabbing them with their poison blades.

The burly men fell to the ground, wriggling and writhing like worms on a sidewalk during a rainy day. After a few minutes, they stopped moving, growing cold as the two Assassin Englishmen ran to help Sebastian and Ezio take care of Ash.

Meanwhile, Sebastian had gotten up from the fall and managed to save Ezio from getting sliced to shreds by the Angel. The butler threw the Phantomhive silverware with precision, striking the Angel on his shoulder blades with forks and and puncturing into the man's thighs with dinner knives. The Angel deflected the other forks and knives with his sword, but Sebastian caught them all and threw them again.

This time, Ash wisened up and grabbed the silverware after Sebastian threw them at him a second time. The Angel threw them at Ezio, hitting the Assassin on his arms and barely scraping the man's cheek. The silverware wounds hurt like the Dickens, but that did not stop Ezio from fighting Ash with his hidden blade. The Angel would dodge Ezio's hidden blade attacks. Sebastian held back when he saw that Darby and Lockaby finished fighting the burly men.

The Englishmen pulled out their revolvers and shot at Ash. They were no match for the Angel as he dodged each shot. The ricochet of the bullets almost hit Sebastian, but he grabbed them by his fingertips before they hit his face and threw them at a high velocity. They hit Ash on his abdomen, which caused him to shoot a glare back at the butler.

"I'll deal with you, later; all of you!" Ash growled. He pulled out Ezio's throwing knife from his wing and flew away, pushing Darby and Lockaby away from the exit of the basement. The two Englishmen fell down, but stood back up, and were about to give chase to the flying man, but Sebastian stopped them.

"It's no use; he's fast when he flies, even when he's injured his wing," Sebastian stated.

"How do you know this...? Are you some kind of angel, too?!" Darby questioned, demanding an answer with anger and fear.

"No, I'm simply one hell of a butler," Sebastian replied. Darby had a confused look on his face.

"That is a story for another day. For now, let's get out of here before Lord Randall comes to imprison us all," Sebastian concluded. The other Assassins nodded and ran out of the basement. The butler took Ciel, unconscious from the distressing interrogation, into his arms and carried him away from the basement and out of the building. The five of them escaped from London and made their way towards the Phantomhive Estate. It was midnight when they arrived at the manor.


	16. 15: The Earl, Becoming an Assassin

_**Phantomhive Estate**_

Ciel lay in bed all day the next day. There were no lessons to be had; not even a meeting with the Funtom associates could be conducted that day. The Earl's butler walked into the room without making the slightest noise. The boy was already awake, but Sebastian still felt the need to make as little noise as possible.

"Young Master, are you well?" Sebastian inquired as he entered the room with a tray containing a bowl of soup.

"No," Ciel muttered in reply.

"... What did Ash tell you?"

"... The truth of my family..."

Sebastian remained silent as he set the tray down on the bedside table. Ciel then proceeded to explain to Sebastian everything Ash told him, including the brand of the New World Order. The butler had a look of concern on his face; he knew the brand on the boy meant something, but it had never crossed his mind that it was part of something beyond the young Earl's wildest ideas.

"... Now that you know who tried to ruin you, have you made your decision?"

"... Yes." The boy looked up at Sebastian. "... I am ready to get my revenge." The butler smiled. A fire burned in the boy's soul. The scent of vengeance was delectable and tempting. _If I could have but a small tidbit of it..._ Sebastian thought to himself. _No, I must be patient. I must wait until his soul has been fully prepared. Then, I shall be released from this contract._

The Phantomhive Manor was quiet that evening. On the flat of the rooftop, the three Assassins stood around a brazier with a branding iron in it. Ezio wore his Renaissance Assassin robes, while the other two gentlemen wore special Assassin outfits with Victorian-style elements embellished onto it. Those robes were only for initiation ceremonies, like the one they were having tonight. The three Assassins had their hoods on, the shadow of their hoods covering their eyes. All of these things were very important in conducting the ceremony, and they had to do everything right.

Ciel came up to the roof with his own simple, yet elegant Assassin outfit. Sebastian fashioned this for him in a hurry. It, too, had a Victorian look to it, even in the hood, which the boy wore. When Lockaby and Darby looked over to where Ciel stood, they could not help but smile, proud that the boy was finally following in his father's footsteps as the next Phantomhive Assassin.

The boy approached the three Assassins and stopped in front of the brazier. He took off his hood, the glow of the burning brazier illuminating his face; the ceremony commenced.

"Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..." began Darby.

"Nothing is true," Ciel stated.

Lockaby continued after Darby. "Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember..."

"Everything is permitted."

Ezio then concluded with, "We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins."

Simultaneously, the four of them repeated the heart of the Creed: "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." They repeated these words a few times, then paused and got ready the branding iron.

Ezio held out his hand. Ciel gave the man his left hand. Darby held the hot branding iron, ready to mark the boy with their insignia.

"In this era, we are not literal like our Assassin ancestors prior to us," Lockaby remarked.

"You do not have to sacrifice your finger, _but_ you must remember that the seal that you will soon be marked with is _permanent_ ," Ezio commented. "... Are you ready?"

Ciel looked to Darby, then Lockaby, and finally to Ezio. He had a determined expression on his face, and a fire in his eyes, which could only mean one thing.

"Yes," answered the Earl, "I am."

The five of them had gathered in the Young Master's office. Darby and Sebastian remained standing while Lockaby, Ezio, and Ciel were seated in the chairs by the desk. Everyone was silent.

"... So you really are _THE_ Ezio Auditore, _in the flesh_?"

"Si, Messer Darby."

"... Would you be willing to tutor me? My technique is rather bland, nothing compared to your mastery in fighting and weapons-"

"Nicholas Theodore Darby! How you insult me! Calling the skills _I_ taught you ' _bland_ '! Would you like me to come over there and strike you?!"

"N-n-n-no, Master Lockaby! I got carried away speaking. I was just admiring Mr. Auditore's skills!"

"All of us have our strengths and weaknesses. That is what makes our fighting styles unique," Ezio commented. Darby looked a little disappointed.

"... But, maybe I can show you a few moves that my Zio Mario taught me."

"Really?!" Darby exclaimed with delight. He had an eager expression that made Ezio chuckle.

"Of course," replied the Italian, which only made Darby want to tear up with eager happiness.

Sebastian cleared his throat. Ciel remembered what he needed to say after trying to withstand the pain of the brand from his finger. The cold signet ring on top of the burned insignia did not help to lessen the burning sensation he felt.

"Anyway, Ezio, didn't you have something important to tell us?"

"Hm?" said Ezio.

"Yes, in fact, we would all like to know what you needed to tell us," added Lockaby.

Ezio looked around once more at these faces, then sighed. How he was going to explain it all in one night was beyond him. He felt it was time to confess the truth to them, so he began his story:

"There was a man... They called him _The Spaniard_ in my country. His name was... _**Rodrigo Borgia**_. He plotted against the Assassins, proclaiming himself to be the foretold 'Prophet' who would one day open The Vault, which might have contained the secrets of the Apple or the Piece of Eden and where it came from... He was the one who plotted the death of my father, and many before him, to obtain the Piece of Eden. I wanted to strangle him, make him see what he did to my father and brothers... But in the end, I didn't get the chance to kill him.

"In Venezia, Rogrigo and I had fought long and hard. I took away his precious Apple, and he was desperate to kill me in order to unlock the Vault's secrets with it. He almost had that chance; then, my Zio Mario came, along with a few other people who had helped me throughout my journey to get revenge on The Spaniard. Rodrigo escaped, and we had the Apple. It was then that Zio Mario told me everything; he told me about the Assassin Order and the reason why they were fighting the Templars."

"So you didn't know about the Assassins until recently, at least in your case?" Sebastian inquired.

" _Si_ ," continued Ezio. "My father felt my brothers, my sister, and I would be safer if we did not know that he and Zio Mario were Assassins. Now, going back to the aftermath of the battle between Rodrigo and me, after I was told about the Assassins and who they were, I also learned that the prophecy foretold in Altaïr's Codex pages has been fulfilled in me; _I_ am the Prophet who will open up the Vault. Because of this knowledge, I joined the Assassins. The initiation was conducted and all seemed to be going well, especially for me. My future looked bright, and it seemed like nothing could stop me.

"After opening the small chest that contained the Apple of Eden, Leonardo, Machiavelli, Zio Mario, and I were curious about the power of the Apple. We knew that Rodrigo would try to take over the world if the Apple fell into his hands, but we did not know the properties that it possessed. As soon as we laid our hands on it, though..." Ezio paused. He struggled inside to try and find a way to explain the events that transpired.

"Are you alright, Ezio?" asked Sebastian.

"Yes, I just don't know how to tell you all what happened next... All I can remember is that there was a bright flash of light, and it was enlightening... It was also frightening... So much knowledge was revealed, and so much truth, that I just could not understand it all... I could not grasp it in my mind... Then I felt as though I was being taken off the ground... I was floating, flying even... Then I hit the ground. I looked around and saw a strange new environment. There were large stones standing around me."

"That was in Salisbury Plain..." Lockaby uttered.

"That was where the Apple was said to be located..." Darby whispered with amazement.

"Then I was meant to be here," remarked Ezio. "The Apple, or whoever is behind its power, has sent me here to help strongly establish the Assassin Order in this time."

"Indeed; the Brotherhood was never the same after Vincent Phantomhive and his team were completely destroyed. We lost so many; we don't even know who's on our side anymore," Darby commented.

"Then I shall help you for as long as I can until the Apple sends me back to my time, and that will be when I have fulfilled me duties here in this country," Ezio declared.

"Just like with Rodrigo Borgia, we must keep the Apple away from Ash Landers," Ciel added.

"Then in the tradition of your father, I would like to appoint you, Earl Phantomhive, as the leader of the Shadow Division of the Brotherhood. You have Darby at your disposal, along with your own connections. You shall protect the Apple of Eden from the Templars," Lockaby stated.

"I understand," Ciel replied, then added, "... I do have one thing that's been bothering me that needs to be addressed here."

"Yes?" said Lockaby.

"... Ash Landers works under the Queen. I'm rather surprised that Her Majesty does not know anything about his doings. Unless..."

"We must give her the benefit of the doubt, Ciel," Darby replied reassuringly.

"I wouldn't be so sure, though," Sebastian interjected. "When Ezio was talking about Rodrigo Borgia, it just hit me that this man had actually become Pope during Ezio's time. Now, whether or not it had happened yet before Ezio came here, we don't know."

"What?!" Ezio exclaimed with widened eyes. "Rodrigo Borgia... The Pope?!"

"Indeed, so we cannot trust anyone at this point. Not even the Queen. She may end up like Borgia; a Templar ruler hiding under our very noses," Sebastian continued.

"This will be hard if we are wanting to rebuild the Assassin Order," Ciel muttered.

"We must start from scratch. We shall do all we can to hide our identities as Assassins, while working in the shadows to build the foundation for more brothers, and sisters if necessary, to join us in our cause," stated Lockaby.

"England is rampant with Templars, though, especially because of the Crusades," said Darby.

"We _must_ try. It's only a matter of time before Ash finds out that Ezio has the Apple of Eden. He will stop at nothing to get it," Ciel concluded. At this proposal, the other three Assassins agreed.

"Then it is settled. Ciel Phantomhive, the Earl of Phantomhive and the Queen's Guard Dog, shall lead us in protecting the Apple from falling into the wrong hands while rebuilding the Assassin Brotherhood with Ezio Auditore's assisstance. Are we in agreement with this?" Lockaby announced.

"Agreed" declared everyone in the room.

"Tomorrow begins our work. There is no guarantee that no one will be harmed at this point, but hopefully it shall be worth it in the end," Lockaby declared. Everyone stood up and was about to leave the room to head off to bed, when Darby stopped suddenly and turned around.

"Oh dear! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed as he pulled out a revamped hidden blade for Ciel. "I had my engineer friend fix up a nicer hidden blade for you. It includes the basic components, plus some remarkable features-"

"Let the boy go to bed already," Lockaby chuckled.

"Hmph! I don't see you with any initiation present for the Earl," Darby muttered.

"I shall take it for my Young Master; it shall be safe with me," Sebastian stated as he took the device from Darby.

"Very well," the gentleman muttered disappointedly, which only made Lockaby smile with amusement at the man's exceeding eagerness for the Assassin Order.

Everyone left cheerfully to bed, except for Ezio and Ciel. The Earl still had some questions about his family that needed answering, especially about his mother's side of the family, the Durless line, and their involvement as Templars. He felt like he was completely in the dark, even though the truth of his family was revealed to him.

Meanwhile, Ezio was bothered by the big undertaking of his mission here in England. There were so few people he could trust here in this country, and so many mysteries... He wanted to know _more_ about the relationship between the Phantomhive Butler and Ash. What was their history, and why did they seem to have such superhuman abilities? Did they have their own Pieces of Eden which would enable them to do what they could do? So many questions were left unanswered that night. Will the answers be revealed at all? Would these two be ready for these answers when they come? _Will the truth be more than they can bear?_


	17. 16: The Earl, Obliged

_Everything went well for a week or a fortnight, and then the woman said, "Listen husband, this cottage is far too small for us, and the garden and yard are little; the flounder might just as well have given us a larger house. I should like to live in a great stone castle; go to the flounder, and tell him to give us a castle."_

 _"Ah, wife," said the man, "the cottage is quite good enough; why should we live in a castle?"_

 _"What!" said the woman; "just go there, the flounder can always do that."_

 _"No, wife," said the man, "the flounder has just given us the cottage, I do not like to go back so soon, it might make him angry."_

 _"Go," said the woman, "he can do it quite easily, and will be glad to do it; just you go to him,"_

 _The man's heart grew heavy, and he did not want to go. He said to himself, "It is not right," and yet he went. And when he came to the sea the water was quite purple and dark blue, and grey and thick, and no longer so green and yellow, but it was still quiet. And he stood there and said-_

"Flounder, flounder in the sea,

Come, I pray you, here to me;

For my wife, good [V-],

Has sent me here against my will."

 _"Well, what does she want, then?" said the flounder._

 _"Alas," said the man, half scared, "she wants to live in a great stone castle."_

 _"Go to it, then, she is standing before the door," said the flounder._

 _Then the man went away, intending to go home, but when he got there, he found a great stone palace, and his wife was just standing on the steps going in, and she took him by the hand and said, "Come in." So he went in with her, and in the castle was a great hall paved with marble, and many servants, who flung the doors wide. And the walls were all bright with beautiful hangings, and in the rooms were chairs and tables of pure gold, and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and all the rooms and bedrooms had carpets, and food and wine of the very best were standing on all the tables, so that they nearly broke beneath it. Behind the house, too, there was a great courtyard, with stables for horses and cows, and the very best of carriages; there was a magnificent large garden, too, with the most beautiful flowers and fruit trees, and a park half a mile long, in which were stags, deer, and hares, and everything that could be desired. "Come," said the woman, "isn't that beautiful?"_

 _"Yes, indeed," said the man, "now let it be; we will live in this beautiful castle and be content."_

 _"We will consider about that," said the woman, "and sleep upon it."_

 _ **~Excerpt from "The Fisherman and His Wife" by The Brothers Grimm**_

 _ **Phantomhive Estate**_

Ezio had come into the dining hall, one morning, with the Earl sipping tea and eating scones. Sebastian could tell that he was trying to look his best, but the faint smell of cheap perfume caught the butler's nose.

"I'm sorry for being late, Messer Phantomhive," Ezio apologized. "I was just making connections in London for when we need to check the Underworld rumor mill for... Information."

"I'm sure you did," Sebastian commented sarcastically with a smirk. _I'm liking this Assassin more each day._

"As fascinating as your conversation is, I've got to run. The Queen has asked me to conduct another case. She wants me to go to London once again," Ciel commented.

"Whatever for?" Baron Lockaby inquired as he bit into his scone.

"There's been some hangings in Portman Square, near a Hindustani Pub," Ciel replied.

" _Near it?_ More like right in front of the shop window!" Darby interjected as he showed the picture on the front cover of the newspaper of the scene of the crime. It seems as though the photographer took a quick snapshot of it before investigators pushed him away from the crime scene.

"Let us hurry, then, before Lord Randall solves the case within the week, as per usual these days," Ciel stated as he stood up from the table to get ready to go out into the cold winter. Darby, Lockaby, and Ezio were about to come along, when Sebastian stopped them.

"This is for the Young Master to investigate. When he needs your help, he will call upon you three for it," said Sebastian as he turned around to leave the room with the Earl.

"I thought we were in this together!" Ezio declared.

"We are," replied the Earl, "but if I'm seen exposed to you three again, then I shall be attacked for it, or worse, killed by Ash Landers himself. I shall not be marked by ruination, not while I'm still alive!" Ciel turned and walked out of the room, determined to keep his Assassin identity a secret from society and to get the vengeance that he so desired. Sebastian followed his Young Master to help him put on his winter garb.

The other three Assassins sat back down to eat their breakfasts, annoyed at the situation.

"Tch. I really wanted to help him investigate. There's bound to be Templar workings in this case," Darby muttered irritably, stabbing the sausages on his plate with his fork.

"There is wisdom in what Ciel has said," Ezio commented. "The last time he was exposed to you two, he got caught in an ambush a few kilometers down the road outside your estate, Nicholas. He and his butler would have died had I not come in time to save them."

"Hm. Then we must be patient. Our turn will soon come," Lockaby pondered aloud as he sipped his tea.

"Very well, Master Lockaby. Come, Ezio! Have some tea with us!" Darby invited.

"Your tea drink is disgusting. I'm not fond of it," Ezio replied with a disgusted look on his face.

"Then you're missing out, my good friend, because this particular tea was imported from India!"

"I will stick to water and coffee, thanks," Ezio stated as he drank his glass of water. _There's something about the boy's determination..._ Ezio thought to himself. _I see the same fire in his eyes as was in mine... A thirst for vengeance... But for what?_ The Italian Assassin continued to ponder this for a while as he finished eating breakfast with Darby and Lockaby.

 _ **Portman Square, London**_

Ciel and Sebastian arrived at the crime scene to Lord Randall scolding poor Inspector Abberline. Apparently, 19 murders took place prior to this one, and Abberline had failed to produce a suspect for the case.

Lord Randall made a comment on the glory of finding Jack the Ripper being stolen by Ciel, which only made the boy smirk.

"I'm sorry to be such a brat," the Guard Dog commented as he approached the Inspectors with his butler. The expression on Lord Randall's face was priceless.

"Earl Phantomhive!" Lord Randall exclaimed.

"I hope you've had a pleasant morning after solving all of those murder cases within a few days of them occurring. I'm surprised that you had not been able to solve these 19 cases already," the boy jeered.

"Enough of your taunts, Earl Phantomhive. You are not to be involved here-"

"Now, if this was merely a highwayman being murdered, then I could hardly care less about the case, but the Queen sent word for me to take care of this business," Ciel said as he took the files of the case from Inspector Abberline's hands. The Inspector was about to take the files back from the boy, but a glare from Sebastian told him to back off.

"So the culprit has been targeting English noblemen who have come back from India? I don't blame him; England would have been better off without the fiends," Ciel commented as he looked through the case files.

"Hmph, they're cowards indeed, I have to agree. They think they're upper class now that they've returned here to England," Lord Randall stated in agreement.

"Hm. Anyway, what's this strange tongue mark?"

"The culprit is trying to insult Her Majesty by targeting any and all English nobleman who have come back from India! The perpetrator has to be one of those _deplorable_ Indians over at East End!"

"East End, you say? Ha ha ha!" Ciel chuckled.

"What's so funny, boy?!" Lord Randall irritably questioned.

"Why, I've made so many trips to East End this past year, that I've practically memorized the entirety of it, right down to the smallest alley. I shall be obliged to investigate East End, since the Yard will be helpless in putting even a single foot down in that area," answered the Guard Dog, a devilish grin on his face upon finding a way to make Lord Randall's day all the more irksome.

"Hmph. Your arrogance will one day be the cause of your _demise_ , Earl Phantomhive," Lord Randall commented.

"Is that so? I'll send an apology to Death's Door. I'm sure he won't mind me being alive for a few more years." And with that, the Earl and his butler left the crime scene, leaving Lord Randall and Inspector Abberline to ponder about the boy's history and the Phantomhive lineage.


	18. 17: The Earl, Hardly Charitable

_**East End, London**_

"Pay us consolation!"

"Tch, that abominable fool, Lau... Getting us stuck in a place like this... And now look where we are," Ciel muttered under gritted teeth. He and Sebastian were, at the moment, surrounded by a group of impoverished Indians, accusing Ciel of hurting the man and being a selfish British nobleman.

"Have patience, Young Master. We shall get through this unscathed," Sebastian said reassuringly.

"And how sure are you of this, Sebastian?" Ciel questioned as the people were rallying into a fight.

"Hold it!" exclaimed a voice. The group stopped and turned around.

"We're looking for someone. Have you seen a young, Indian lady? She looks like this," said a young Indian man, who was holding an _extremely_ rough sketch of a girl. He was garbed in attire that was much fancier than the rags the other people were wearing. He also had a servant following him around with a hand wrapped in gauze.

"Hmph. Are you two joining this little melee?" Ciel inquired. The young man finally took notice of the Earl and the butler.

"Wait, he has a butler... And he wears nobleman garb... Are you a British nobleman?"

"Why do you care?"

"... I shall side with my people. Agni, defeat them," the young man commanded.

"Your wish is my command," replied the man's servant, whose name, apparently, was Agni. "I shall use my hand, which was blessed by the gods, to conquer our foes-"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," a familiar, Italian-accented voice interrupted as the owner of that voice appeared from the crowd and stood in front of Ciel and Sebastian.

"Ezio! I told you to stay at the manor!" Ciel admonished harshly.

"I could not stay, especially because you were caught in another ambush," Ezio stated, the shadow of his hood hiding his features, making him look more formidable.

"I assure you, Italian man, that your English friend was the one who caused all of this," the young man said.

"Then let us settle this," Ezio responded.

"Very well. Agni, instead of fighting the boy and his butler, you are to take down his avenger," the young man commanded.

"I shall, my prince, with the hand which has been blessed by the gods!" Agni declared as he removed the gauze from his hand.

"Hm, I was expecting something more exciting than a regular hand," Ezio taunted as he got into his ready stance for hand-to-hand combat.

"Do not be fooled by its looks, Italian man, for it wields great power, more than you can ever behold," said Agni as he stood in his ready stance.

The Assassin chuckled. "I have seen things hold more power than your silly hand," Ezio jeered, gesturing to Agni to give it all he's got.

With that, Agni made the first move. Ezio guarded himself from the attack, but suddenly felt a numbing sensation in his right arm.

" _Cazzo!_ " Ezio uttered under his breath as he tried to pull off a kick at Agni. The prince's servant was quicker, and he blocked the attack with his blessed hand. The Assassin felt the numbing sensation in his leg, now, and he could barely take a few steps back.

"It's time to end this!" Agni declared as he was about to pull a chopping sweep at Ezio. Suddenly, Sebastian stepped in and blocked the move with his arm. It was as if he barely felt a sting, for he pursued Agni with a few kicks and boxing punches.

"Don't forget that we are here, too!" cried out one of the lower-class Indian men as he pulled out a scimitar and charged at Ciel. The boy turned around and was about to use his hidden blade to protect himself,

"Ezio! Protect the Young Master!" Sebastian commanded as he dodged another one of Agni's hand attacks.

"Va bene!" Ezio jumped in front of Ciel with every ounce of strength he could muster from his non-paralyzed arm and leg, released the hidden blade from his good arm, and locked his blade with the man's scimitar. The Assassin quickly disarmed the man and gave him a jarring headbutt.

"Gah!" The man fell back. A few more men pulled out their scimitars and charged at Ezio and Ciel. The Assassin did his best to disarm the fellows and cause them to fall back without stabbing them with his hidden blade. Ciel was a bit confused, but remembered the Creed. He could not shed the blood of an innocent, and that was what Ezio was doing now, despite the fact that these men tried to kill the boy first.

Meanwhile, Agni had been distracted with fighting Sebastian. Countless times, Agni struck and chopped with his hands, but they seemed to have no effect on the butler. Sebastian would counter with a few blows, and he would defend himself from all of Agni's attacks. His arms and legs were not paralyzed a bit by Agni's blows.

The prince's servant paused. "How can this be? I've hit your marman plenty of times. Your arms and legs should have been paralyzed a while ago," Agni declared, a little confused at this sight, but determined to take Ciel's butler down.

Sebastian was just about to finish off Agni, when Ciel declared incredulously from behind Ezio, " _Isn't there something wrong with this picture?!_ We stepped foot here for but a single minute and already we were attacked by those men! Do _all_ Indians indiscriminately attack Englishmen like this?!"

Upon hearing this, the Indian prince halted the fight. "Stop!" he declared. "You! Is it true that you had no reason to attack these people?!" The prince pointed an accusatory finger at the men gathered around the boy and Ezio. They looked confused and shrugged their shoulders.

"I am disappointed in _all_ of you. It is childish behavior, to pick fights without any reason. You should be _ashamed_ of yourselves," the Indian prince rebuked. "Agni, our brothers were in the wrong. You are to help the boy and deal out punishment to all of these men!"

"Yes, my prince!" With this command, Agni swiftly dealt damage to every single one of the attackers. After this was done, the men were stacked up in a paralyzed little pile with Agni standing proudly beside it. Ezio, Ciel, and Sebastian, surprisingly, had dumbfounded expressions on their faces upon seeing this sudden change of allegiances.

"I have done as you asked, _Prince Soma_!" Agni announced with glee.

"Very good, Agni!" the prince replied. He turned to the three surprised faces. "So, I hope you all are not hurt."

"Well..." Ezio began.

"Oh! I'm sorry Mr. Italian Man. You do not need to worry, though; the paralyzed feeling will subside eventually, and you will once again feel pain," said Prince Soma reassuringly.

"Grazie..." Ezio muttered with an unamused tone.

"Oh! By the way, little boy, this place is not a good area for you to be walking around. You could get hurt like what nearly happened to you today." He patted Ciel's head, which astonished the Earl even more.

"Well, we must take off, now. Good bye!" Soma declared. He and Agni took off, leaving two astounded Englishmen and one displeased Assassin standing there with the pile of paralyzed Indian men to keep them company.

"I do not know which I should be happy about... not being able to feel anything in my arm and leg, or knowing that when this numbing feeling subsides, I will feel the pain of Agni's blows..." Ezio muttered.

"Yaaaaas! Splendid performance! I was left speechless by it, especially by the Italian man who stepped right in and protected the two of you!" cried out a voice from the rooftop.

" _And what exactly were you doing up there, Lau?!_ " Ciel declared irritably.

"Oh! I was just waiting for the right timing to help you all!" Lau replied as he hopped off the rooftop and met the three of them on the ground level.

"Who are you?" Ezio inquired.

"Actually, the question is, who are you, Mr. Avenger?" Lau replied. "I thought the Earl was not fond of Italians after... that incident."

"Hmph. I am-"

"None of your concern, Lau. He is here on official business and will leave as soon as his investigation here has been conducted," stated Sebastian, with a hint of a glare at Ezio.

" _Ohhh, I see now_ ," Lau commented with understanding, though he could hardly guess at the real reason why Ezio was here.

"Hmph. Anyways, who are those two?" Ciel thought aloud, looking at the two figures walking in the distance.

"Well, they're not from here, that's for sure. Their clothes are much too elegant for them to be living in this area," Lau speculated.

"Tch. Whatever. We shall have to take this pile to the Yard, I guess," Ciel sighed as he looked at the paralyzed men stacked on top of each other. _How did that servant manage it...? To paralyze them all with his hand... Is his hand really blessed by the gods? Or is this the work of some sort of Piece of Eden...?_

 _ **Phantomhive Town House**_

"Ezio! We can't just have Darby and Lockaby living here! It's enough that Mei-Rin, Bard, and Finny are here; we don't need a full house!" Ciel argued.

"What if you need backup?!"

"You do realize that you, Darby, and Lockaby are the _only_ official Assassins in the whole of this country. Your job is to _recruit_ people! Not fight and scare them away!"

"I have recruited a few!"

"More like _slept in a brothel with some women_!"

"Well, Messer Phantomhive, what you need to realize is that Assassins don't _always_ have to be out there, fighting and killing! There are some Assassins who work the rumor mills and give us the information that we need! The more people we trust, _the better_!"

"I could hardly _trust_ you while you're going about like you have the world around your fingertips! This society is _far different_ than yours, where you could walk about as you please, with all of your weapons out in the open!"

"You accuse me of not conforming to _your_ society, Messer Phantomhive! I'd say I've blended in pretty well, haven't I?!"

"Not with this little _stunt_ you pulled!"

"You being in the Assassin Brotherhood means that we are a _team_! More than that! In fact, we are _brothers_ -"

"Assassin or not, _I shall_ _ **never**_ _be your brother!_ "

 _"What are these 'Assassins' you speak of?"_

"NOT NOW, SEBAS-" Ciel and Ezio exclaimed, then stopped. The voice they just heard was not the butler's voice. Astonished, they turned around to see Prince Soma and Agni at the door.

"What the...?!" Ciel uttered.

"Prince Soma, I don't think it is wise to interrupt their argument. Let them settle it peacefully," Agni advised his master.

"I'm quite curious, though. I want to know what these 'Assassins' are," Soma stubbornly protested.

 _"WHY THE BLAZES ARE YOU TWO HERE?!"_ Ciel demanded incredulously.

"Hm? We just met earlier; don't you remember us? We saved you from my brethren, the ones who tried to attack you," Soma replied. "In India, it is common courtesy to welcome and entertain one's benefactors. 'Entertain the guests, even if you must give up your treasures for them,' goes an old saying."

"Sebastian! Where the devil are you?!" Ciel irritably cried out. He looked around, only to find the servants and Sebastian, dumbfounded by the casual appearance of the Indian Prince and Agni.

"Now, where is a bed where I can sleep?"

"Huh?!" Ezio uttered.

"In my country, the hosts, hostesses, and guests sit together on the same bed-" began Prince Soma.

"PRIIIIIIINCE~~~! I found one!" called out Agni.

"Good work, Agni!"

"I beg your pardon!" Ciel began, but the Prince and Agni already began their ascent up the stairs of the Town House.

"Hm, this staircase is narrow. Ah, it will do, since I've decided to stay here."

"W-wait, Messers!"

"Ezio, help me kick them out!" Ciel commanded.

"I cannot! Not with the Indian Prince's servant here!" Ezio retorted.

"What, are you afraid of him now?!"

"I'm not afraid of him! It's just that the prince is untouchable! That Agni man will paralyze me instantly, like he did to me before!"

"Good point... Quick! They're making their way to my bedroom!" Ciel and Ezio ran up the staircase and up to the Earl's bedroom, only to find Prince Soma already settling down on the bed.

"Why the bloody hell do I have to look after you two?!" Ciel declared irritably.

"I did not really consider staying at an inn," the Indian Prince commented. "Is it common to kick out one's benefactors into the cold here in this country?"

 _"Hardly..."_ Ciel muttered with gritted teeth. "Apart from that, just who do you think you are, galavanting around the streets and deciding to bother me about a place to stay for the evening?!"

"Me? Well, _I'm a prince_ , you see," Prince Soma replied.

"A Prince?" Ezio, Sebastian, and the other servants repeated with curiosity.

"He is Prince Soma Asman Gandal, 26th child to the king of Bengal," Agni announced proudly as the prince lay on his side while on the bed. This irked the Earl profusely.

"As a token of our friendship, I shall serve all of you by making chai tea with ginger, especially for a cold day like this!" declared Agni as he ran to the kitchen.

"Um, I beg your pardon, but _I_ shall be the one to serve tea around here," Sebastian stated as he flusteredly followed Agni into the kitchen.

"Ezio! Get the prince out! Quickly, before Agni comes back!" Ciel commanded.

"So, what are these 'Assassins' you keep talking about?" Prince Soma inquired.

"I cannot tell you much, unless you wish to join the Brotherhood," Ezio replied.

"Oh! So if I join this 'Assassin Brotherhood', does that mean we get to be _brothers_?"

"Si, Prince Soma."

"Wonderful! Not only shall I be the benefactor to you and your midget friend, I get to be your _brother_!"

 _ **"GET OUT!"**_


	19. 18: The Assassin, Under Oath

_**Dining Hall, Phantomhive Town House**_

After a rude awakening, Ciel sat at the head of the dining table, eating the breakfast Agni prepared. Prince Soma sat at the other end of the table. Sebastian stood by the Earl's side, and Agni likewise with his Prince.

Ezio was seated at the table, too, since there were no horses to take care of at the Town House in London. He was allowed to eat with the boy to keep him company.

"So, you used to be a nobleman, Mr. Italian Man?" Prince Soma inquired as he stuffed Agni's cooking into his mouth.

"In a way, yes I was. And please, call me Ezio."

"Alright, Mr. Ezio."

Ezio smiled as he tried the French toast with ginger. It was actually very delicious, in his opinion. The prawn curry was good, but the spices and flavors were not what Ezio had been used to, so it was not to his liking.

"So how long do you two intend to stay here?" Ciel inquired of Prince Soma.

"We will leave once we have found _this_ lady." The Prince took out the rough sketch of a girl and handed it to Ezio. The man looked at it, a confused expression apparent on his face. He handed the drawing to Ciel, who looked even more confused upon examining it, or trying to.

"Her name is Mina. She was a servant at my palace," Prince Soma proudly replied.

". . . Well, it is, uh, good drawing. Molto bene," Ezio commented awkwardly, not wanting to offend the Prince.

"Thank you! I drew that myself. It's such a good drawing, that upon finding her, you will instantly recognize her from my drawing! She's a really beauty, isn't she?" Even Agni looked proud of the Prince's drawing. Ciel, Sebastian, and Ezio looked again at the artist's depiction.

"Sebastian," Ciel muttered, "can you find her using this?"

"Erm, I shall do the best that I can..."

"Anyways, why is this woman in England?" Ciel began. He looked up from his drawing and saw Prince Soma and Agni praying to a statue.

The Assassin sighed. _This is going to be a long week.._. he thought to himself as the Prince's shenanigans went on for the rest of the day.

"So, when are you actually going to spend time with me?" Prince Soma asked.

" _RRRRRAAAAAAAAAH!_ Will you shut up already?! I can't concentrate with your relentless attempts to get my attention!"

Upon entering the room, Ezio had heard the little spat Ciel had with Prince Soma.

"Um, Messer Phantomhive, is this a bad time-"

"Of course this is a bad time to be telling me things, you idiot of an Italian!" Ciel barked.

This comment displeased Ezio greatly, but knowing that arguing back would be childish behavior, he kept his mouth shut so that the young, easily irritable Earl would calm down.

"You need to calm down, midget. Anger and stress is not good for your health," Soma commented.

"Calm...?! You want calm?! Alright, since you desire my attention so much, you shall get it! _You_ will be my opponent!" The boy tossed a sword to Prince Soma. _Oh no..._ Ezio thought as he watched the scene go downhill.

"So, if I defeat you, then you shall spend more time with me?"

" _Only_ if you actually win. Lose, and you shall stay out of my way for the rest of the day."

"I accept this challenge," the Prince said, a smug, confident look on his face.

"Very well. Let's have five bouts in three minutes; the person with the highest score wins," Ciel concluded. With that, the Earl and the Prince began the tournament, with Ezio and Agni as the spectators and Sebastian as the referee.

The Prince suddenly lost confidence in himself when he realized that the sword he was using was different from the scimitars that he was used to fighting with. It was very difficult for him to control his fencing sword. On the other hand, the Earl, more skilled in fencing, was adept, and he timed his strikes carefully and quickly. Prince Soma would barely dodge each thrust.

"Your torso is wide open!" Ciel declared with a sly grin on his face. The boy was about to take a stab at Prince Soma.

" _MY PRINCE!_ " Agni exclaimed as he ran right in front of Prince Soma.

"Agni, wait!" Ezio cried out, but was too late. Agni used his blessed hand to hit Ciel's arm.

"Agh!" The Earl dropped his fencing sword, then dropped to his knees, clutching his numbed arm with his other hand.

"Messer Phantomhive!" Ezio exclaimed as he was about to run to the boy to see if his arm is not too badly damaged. The Phantomhive butler stopped the Assassin in his tracks.

"Leave this one to me," Sebastian said softly as he approached the scene.

"But, Sebastian!" Ezio began. The butler had already picked up his master's sword.

"Although it was rude of my Young Master to fight a novice in the art of fencing, I cannot let your deed go unpunished, Agni," the butler stated as he swung his sword to the side, prepping himself for the duel.

"I'm sorry, Ciel, sir! It shall not happen again!" Agni apologized in a panicked way.

"I'm sure my Young Master forgives you, but I must avenge him in a duel, you and me. Besides, we are behind schedule by approximately ten minutes, so I would like to be done with all of this nonsense so that I can make preparations for dinner," the butler replied indifferently.

"Hm, this shall be interesting! A duel it is, then!" Prince Soma declared. The two servants stood in ready stances for the duel. Ezio and Ciel simply stood aside to watch the duel take place. The Assassin had a worried expression on his face. _I know Sebastian did well to endure the pain Agni dealt to him during the fight yesterday, but is he capable of beating such a skilled and powerful servant...?_

"Agni, in the name of the goddess, Kali, you shall win this match!" Soma commanded.

"Sebastian, you shall defeat Agni and reclaim Phantomhive dignity; I order it!" Ciel also commanded.

Both servants nodded in affirmation of their masters' commands, and thus the duel began. Agni began with a thrust, to which Sebastian parried. Sebastian made a thrust at Agni, but the servant simply ducked the sword's tip and tried to conduct a thrust from the ground up. The Phantomhive butler was quick, and the tip of Agni's sword almost stabbed into Sebastian's face has the butler not dodged the move.

While all of this was happening, the audience members were on the edge of their seats. Ezio was stunned by the sight of the two servants' skills. Both of them seemed to have superhuman abilities as they made swift thrusts and parries, dodging almost at the speed of light. It even made the Assassin question whether or not these two were _human_ at all.

At the last stroke of the duel, the two servants made one last thrust at each other with their swords. Their thrusts were aimed and timed perfectly to where the tips met at the center, then broke off from the swords, flying off and landing on the ground in front of Ezio. The audience was shocked by the turn of events.

"It will be impossible to compete with broken swords now. I guess this means that this duel ended with a draw. I commend your skill and efforts, Agni," Sebastian stated, bringing his broken sword up in a vertical position, centered from his body, then making a sweep with it to his side to conclude the duel officially.

"Likewise, Mr. Sebastian," Agni replied. "It has been an honor, exchanging blows with someone as skilled as I am."

"I was rather impressed by your quick responses to my moves, especially for someone who had just learnt fencing by observing," the butler commented.

Ezio grew very suspicious of the two servants. His thoughts kept impeding his mind with questions and speculations. _Neither of those two seem human. And if they are, they must have_ _ **something**_ _that is giving them such enhanced abilities... Despite Agni's disposition, he certainly doesn't seem like the nice man he appears to be. And Sebastian... He's the most interesting one of all... He not only does_ _ **all**_ _of the work to keep the Phantomhive Estate running, but he is skilled at fighting; too skilled, even. And was he throwing silverware at the battle with Ash Landers? Did he actually_ _ **wound**_ _the Fallen Angel with those?! Certainly Sebastian is no angel, like Ash, so that can only mean he's..._

Ezio's eyes widened at this realization. _How is this possible?! I thought Angels and Demons were not able to take human form in this life!_ The Assassin needed to confront Sebastian about this matter. _How can a demon be serving the child? What were his motives? What could he want of the boy in order to make a deal with him? Money? Information?_ Ezio decided that he needed to be more careful around the butler; he did not want Sebastian to steal away the Piece of Eden when the Assassin least expected it.

While the others talked about the afternoon's duel, Ezio followed Sebastian into the kitchen. The butler was getting the pots and pans ready to prep the food for the evening meal.

Sebastian noticed Ezio looking at him with suspicion in his eyes.

"... Yes?" said Sebastian with civility.

"Explain yourself," Ezio demanded.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know what you are, Messer Michaelis, or, should I say, _il diavolo_?"

Sebastian stopped what he was doing. He smiled as he turned around to look Ezio straight in the eye. This frightened the Assassin because Sebastian's eyes were not the normal, red eyes he was used to; they were demonic, and it felt like Sebastian's eyes were reaching to grab Ezio's soul and steal it away.

"You're smarter than you look, Ezio Auditore. But what exactly is it that you want me to explain?"

"T-Tell me why you chose Ciel's soul... Why the boy, especially while he's so young?!"

"Well, Mr. Auditore, it's the same reason why I _craved_ your soul when you were but 16 years old."

"What...?"

"Hmhmhm. It looks like you require an explanation. You see, the Templars have been the ones who have killed your father and brothers. Giovanni, Federico, and Petruccio met an end that they were not supposed to meet yet. It was beyond their control, as well as yours. For situations like that, I come in to form a contract with the one who is alive, the one who is filled with so much anger, they wish to seek vengeance on those who almost ruined them completely. Those are the souls I delight in.

"When your father and brothers died, I have waited for what seemed like an eternity, hoping that you would one day call on me to form a contract. To be quite frank, Mr. Auditore, I _desired_ your soul. I wanted that hate, that need for revenge, to fill me up. Unfortunately, you found a way to deal out your revenge without seeking my assistance, and here you are, with a plain, tasteless soul, hardly an ounce of flavor left in it."

This left Ezio speechless. Seeing that there would be no more interruptions to the explanation, the butler continued.

"When your pesky Uncle Mario made you realize how important you were to the Assassins, you had lost your desire for vengeance. By then, I lost hope in signing a contract with you and in finding someone who would ever be in a similar situation as you... Centuries passed me by, and I would simply eat whatever souls I could, almost forgetting the souls which I craved the most...

"Suddenly, a young boy called upon me, begging my assistance in finding and eradicating all those who almost brought him into ruination and despair. I contracted with him immediately. Ever since then, I have served him faithfully, knowing that someday, I shall consume his vengeful soul."

Sebastian's eyes changed back to the red, human-like eyes they have always been. Ezio was still speechless; the attempts made to even utter a single syllable were all in vain.

"Do not worry, Mr. Auditore. I do not desire your soul anymore. You've moved on from your past motives. As far as the Young Master's soul is concerned though, there's nothing you can do to rend the contract. It has already been sealed."

Sebastian paused in order to let the Assassin absorb everything he had just heard. After a moment, the cunning butler concluded the conversation with one final comment.

"You and the Young Master are one in the same, really. You both had family who has died due to the Templars, and you both sought revenge. The only difference is that one of you has escaped my grasp, while the other fell into my claws."

"... I do not regret my decision in keeping away from you, then, Messer Michaelis," Ezio uttered at last. He was about to step out of the room, when Sebastian said, "Mr. Auditore, I do have one thing to request of you."

"... And that is?"

"You are not to speak of this conversation to _anyone_. Not to your Assassin friends here in this time, not to your family in your own time. If I catch you doing that in whatever time period you are in, I will just have to take your soul, despite its lack of savory, delectable flavor that it used to have. Are we understood?"

"... Si, Sebastian... I understand _completely._ But on one condition."

"... What would this condition be...?"

"You do not try to take the Piece of Eden away from me and use it for your own dark deeds."

"... Very well. It looks like we have ourselves _a deal_."

Ezio nodded after Sebastian said this. The two of them parted ways, Sebastian to his work in the kitchen, acting as if the conversation they just shared never happened, and Ezio to find a quiet place in order to ponder all that he had heard that afternoon.


End file.
